Amajita coach Mdaka praises charges for showing character after securing Afcon ticket - TimesLIVE
South Africa U-20 coach Raymond Mdaka has praised his players for showing character by coming back from a goal down to beat Zambia 4-2 and qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ghana next year.
With this semifinal win, Amajita have secured a place in the Cosafa U-20 Championship final against hosts Mozambique on Sunday at ABB Stadium.
South Africa went to halftime a goal down, but they turned it around after the break with two penalties from Steven Mendes and from Oarabile Booysen and Emile Witbooi.
“I told the boys at halftime that it is going to be bad if we don’t go out there and defend the trophy and fail to qualify for Afcon,” said Mdaka.
“I asked them to put more numbers and increase speed in the final third because their defenders were just sitting there and waiting for us.
“We brought Emile to play in front of their centre backs, and that move worked for us. I appreciate the character that was shown by the boys.
“It was not easy to come back from 1-0 down in this sort of intensive match and score more goals. That is the sign of being positive, and I am happy with the way they handled themselves.”
Amajita go to Ghana as defending champions, and they will be favourites because Mdaka has assembled a strong team with some players active for their teams.
“The key for us was to qualify for Afcon, and that mission has been achieved. Zambia has a strong team, and we knew it was going to be difficult, but credit to the boys for showing character.”
Amajita went down after 28 minutes from a header by Duncan Musialela, but they pulled one back when Mendes scored his fourth goal of the tournament from the spot in the 62nd minute.
They kept on pushing and took the lead for the first time two minutes later through Oarabile Booysen, but the Zambians replied through Jonathan Kalimina.
Amajita pulled away during the closing stages when Mendes scored his second penalty of the match after Kalimina handled the ball in the box.
The match was secured in style during the referee’s optional time when exciting attacker Witbooi produced a delightful solo run from the midfield to score his first of the tournament.
