The first round of football matches kicked off at the Region 5 Youth Games in Windhoek on Saturday. Both Team SA representatives played Zambia, with the boys at the University of Namibia and the girls at Hage Geingob Stadium, writes Mark Lemke.
They suffered mixed fortunes, with the boys drawing 3-3 in a back and forth affair, while the girls suffered a 3-0 defeat.
The boys side is the Under-17 South African squad and are competing in these games as build up towards the Age Group World Cup and were up against some more mature opponents. However, Team SA began strongly, opening the scoring within the first 10 minutes. Zambia fought back and levelled the match shortly after going behind.
The next blow was landed by Team SA, making it 2-1. Following this goal, the South African system/formation was altered which led to the pendulum swinging once again, leading to Zambia scoring twice and ending the first half 3-2 n their favour.
The second half began with the boys reverting back to the successful first half tactic. An instant effect could be seen as Team SA began to knock on the door of an equaliser. That goal duly came late into the game and this proved to be enough to share the spoils.
The girls side fought hard throughout the game, maintaining good possession and connecting quick short passes. However, they struggled to penetrate the Zambian backline. The pace of Zambia’s frontline caused the Team SA girls trouble throughout the match and led to the first and third goals conceded by Team SA. The second goal was a header from a corner.
Head coach Ntombifuthi Khumalo said in the post-match media conference: “There are plenty of positives to take from this game. We held the ball well in possession and our build up was sharp. It is not the result we wanted but we can assure all those supporting us back home that we will be back stronger and better for Monday’s match.”
Both these TeamSA teams will be back in action on Monday for the second round of the group stage. They will be facing Botswana and will be eager to grab their first wins of the competition.
Photo: Frennie Shivambu