29 May 2019 – South Africa’s National Under-20 (Amajita) head coach Thabo Senong says his side were just unlucky to have lost against Korea Republic in their second 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup Group F match, after having created so many scoring chances in the first half.
Amajita suffered a 1-0 defeat to their opponents, this result counting as their second defeat in their group fixtures.
Senong stated that he was not happy with the outcome of the match, adding that lapses of concentration played a key part in them conceding the only goal scored of the match.
“We played really well in the first half,” Senong said. “The only let down was that we did not convert from all of the many chances we created. And this is what I told the boys during half time. I said that we need to concentrate, remain solid at the back, while making full use of the chances we got up in the final third.
“Unfortunately Korea Republic got one scoring opportunity and made full use of it,” Senong added. “It then later became difficult for us to infiltrate them after scoring that goal because they started playing with more numbers at the back.”
In their final Group F match, Amajita will take on Portugal at the Bielsko-Biala Stadium on 31 May at 20h30
Senong stated that his side will do everything in their power to push for a positive result in that game.
“Our last game is against Portugal, where we will have to plan really well in order to push for a positive result,” Senong said. “It is not going to be easy, however, we will approach that game as professionally as possible and push for the desired result.”