By REGINALD KANYANE
10December 2024 – The South African U17 Men’s National Team (Amajimbos) will face neighbours Zambia in the semi-finals of the 2024 COSAFA Championships and CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations Regional qualifiers on 11 December 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Amajimbos won all three of their Group C matches to top the group with nine points, while Zambia also topped Group B with nine points to be drawn against South Africa in the semi-finals.
Angola topped Group A with seven points and will play the best runners up of the tournament, Zimbabwe, who finished second in Group B with four points and a better goal difference than Mozambique.
Speaking to http://www.safa.net Amajimbos Head Coach, Vela Khumalo emphasised that all the players in the squad had to have a taste of the tournament.
“Today, we played the younger players and we believe they did well in scoring three goals in the first 15 minutes of the match however, with youngster it is always a challenge because the lose concentration.
“We are happy to have scored goals but aren’t happy about conceding today, but it was important that we give all our players a run in the tournament,” said Khumalo.
He further said they are looking forward to the semi-final. Khumalo added that it is a do or die and as the Technical team, they have put a lot into building this team.
“Now, it is up to the boys to show how badly they want to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations,” he said.
Meanwhile, South Africa will play against Zambia in the all important semi-final, which will determine which of the two nations will book a ticket to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. This match will be played on 11 December 2024 at 15h00 at AW Muller Stadium in Auckland Park.
The Guardian 