The Amajita South African men’s Under-20 football side have arrived in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, with everything to play for in their last Africa Cup of Nations Group B match against Sudan.
The clash is scheduled for 3pm on Sunday at the Heroes National Stadium.
Amajita could already have been celebrating their qualification to the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup in South Korea later this year, but let slip a 2-0 half time lead against Senegal on Thursday, eventually going down 4-3.
South Africa head coach Thabo Senong believes the loss to the Lions of Teranga in their second Group B match was a much-needed wake-up call, and the good thing is that there is a still a fixture to be played.
‘The clash against Senegal was a typical game of two halves – we played well and won the first half, but lost our way in the second stanza. We had emphasised to the players that Senegal were wounded and would come strongly at us, which is exactly what they did. We also warned the players about the critical phases of the game, but such is football,’ said Senong.
Amajita face an East African side which hasn’t registered a victory in the competition, but still have a remote chance of making it to the last four. Senong knows they cannot be taken lightly.
‘All is not lost though, and the good thing is that progression to the next round is still in our hands, which simply means we are still very much in it – it’s all up to us. And that’s very encouraging, as we have everything to play for. We have to fight harder against Sudan and not take them lightly, even though they haven’t won a single match so far,’ added Senong.
‘The players have learnt a vital lesson – one needs to work hard for what you want, and they now know that qualifying for the semi-finals is not a joke and not an easy task, they have to earn it. We have to ensure that we make the semi-finals and qualify for the World Cup.’
After two matches, Senegal top Group B with four points, just one above South Africa and Cameroon, while Sudan have just one point.
Senegal take on Cameroon in the other Group B fixture at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
As matters stand, all four teams in this group have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals.
* A win for South Africa will see them proceed, irrespective of what happens in the other match
* Senegal will also qualify if they draw against Cameroon
* A loss for Senegal, coupled with a South African victory will see Cameroon and South Africa in the last four
* Sudan can also qualify if they beat South Africa by two clear goals and if Senegal beat Cameroon