Amajita face group leaders Angola in crucial U20 AFCON qualifier

South Africa’s U20 Men’s National Team face an early test in their CAF U20 Men’s Africa Cup of Nations COSAFA qualifying campaign when Amajita take on Group B leaders Angola in Mozambique.

The two unbeaten sides meet at ABB 1 Stadium in Matola on Monday, 21 September, with kick-off at 15h00.

Both teams made convincing starts to the competition. South Africa secured a 3-0 victory over Lesotho, while Angola beat Eswatini 4-0.

That result leaves Angola top of Group B on goal difference ahead of their meeting with Amajita.

Mdaka expects tough Angola test

Amajita Head Coach Raymond Mdaka believes Angola are the strongest team in the group and expects a difficult contest as South Africa target a place in the semi-finals.

“As today is Match Day-1 we went back to view the match against Lesotho and see where we could improve, and judging from the few minutes of today’s training session the boys look sharp and if we take our chances against Angola we will do better. This is a game we must win to progress to the semi-finals, but we know they are a good team, and we need to brace ourselves for a tough match,” he explained.

South Africa will head into the match looking to build on their opening performance against Lesotho while finding the opportunities needed to break down an Angola side that scored four goals in its first game.

Witbooi and Fortune join Amajita squad

Amajita have received a further boost with the arrival of Emile Witbooi and Cayden Fortune.

The pair missed the 3-0 victory over Lesotho because of club commitments.

Their arrival increases South Africa’s squad to 23 players and gives Mdaka and his technical team a full complement to select from for the remainder of the tournament.

“We all know they have been part of the team from the word go but just a few logistics we had to sort out, and hopefully they will give us a plus in terms of the balance of the team,” Mdaka added.

The coach acknowledged the demands of Witbooi’s travel and club commitments but believes both players have something to add to the squad.

Group B battle takes shape

With South Africa and Angola both collecting three points from their opening matches, Monday’s encounter gives Amajita an opportunity to strengthen their position in Group B.

Angola hold the early advantage on goal difference after their 4-0 victory over Eswatini, while South Africa are close behind following their three-goal win against Lesotho.

Eswatini and Lesotho will meet in the other Group B fixture.

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