BY Obakeng Maje

The South African Under 20 Men’s National Team (Amajita) coach Solly Luvhengo and his brave band of players can take many positives from their outstanding performances in the 8-Nation International Tournament which ended at the Cape Town Stadium on Sunday, 3 June with Brazil beating Argentina 2-0 in the final.

The campaign had started with Amajita’s 3-1 defeat to Argentina in the opening game. But even Argentine coach Marcelo Trobbiani admitted the score-line had been flattening, and since then, Amajita simply got better and better as the tournament progressed.

Defensive frailties were ironed out and a more clinical touch was found in front of goal. With the exception of the semi-final penalty defeat to Brazil, South Africa remained undefeated for the remainder of the tournament, scoring six goals and conceding three as they beat Ghana, Nigeria and Japan.

They were viewed by many as the most exciting team in the tournament, thanks to their dynamic interplay and breathtaking speed when on attack, and were arguably the better side against Brazil, who were made to sweat for their victory in the semi-final, winning on penalties after the game had ended 2-2 after 120 minutes.

Amajita striker Thabani Mthembu was awarded the Top Goal-Scorer award for his impressive goal tally of five in five matches.

Midfielder Snethemba Ngidi shone throughout the competition with some wonderful attacking play and was amongst three nominees for Player of the Tournament, the accolade however going to Brazil’s Misael Bueno.

The entire squad was in attendance at the post-match press conference, where they were warmly received by the media and given a standing ovation for the pride their performances brought to the nation.

“I felt we were better than them and worked harder,” said Luvhengo of the performance against Japan, which they won 7-6 on penalties after the game had ended 1-1. “At stages we dropped off and allowed them too much space. We should have won the game in the first half.

“When you work so hard you always deserve to get something from your hard work. You saw us celebrating on the pitch. But we were not celebrating third position, we were celebrating the results of hard work,” he added.

It was important that the coach motivate his players after they had narrowly lost out on a place in the final, and judging by another impressive display against the Asian side, Luvhengo had done exactly that.

“I felt we deserved to have been in the final. It was disappointing not to, but I told the players ahead of the play-off against Japan – go and reward yourselves for your hard work (by picking up a medal).

“Sometimes you work hard and you don’t get anything. But I’ll take the bronze medal and build from that.”

Going forward, the Venda-born coach is optimistic that his team will continue to improve and fly the South African flag high in international competition.

“I’m very happy with the work ethic. I’m very happy with the team spirit. I’m very happy with the chances we are creating.

“I’m not happy with the finishing, we must work on that. Maybe at some moments we switch off a little bit. That’s expected at youth level, but as a coach you need to keep your players on their toes and keep reminding them.

“If we get more time together, these actions will start synchronising themselves and we will get much, much better.”
 

BY Obakeng Maje

The South African Under 20 Men’s National team (Amajita) secured a third place finish at the 8-Nation International Tournament after beating Japan seven-six (7-6) on penaltiesin a game that ended one-all (1-1).

The two sides appeared evenly matched in the opening stages. It was a case of like against like as both sets of players displayed good technical skill and speed on and off the ball.

The closest either team came to scoring early on was after 11 minutes when Amajita midfielder Jino Moeketsi turned to face his own goal and sent an attempted back-pass just a metre wide of his own goal.

The host nation were to take the lead in the 23rd minute, courtesy of a well-worked move.

It started with a quick break and saw Snethemba Ngidi playing in a brilliant through ball to Maselaelo Seango, who rounded keeper Matoshi Kushibiki.

Kushibiki however managed to get a slight touch on the ball, which saw it falling into the path of Thabani Mthembu, who had a relatively easy tap-in for his fifth goal of the tournament.

A minute later it could have been 2-0 when South Africa’s pace again took them clear on goal, but after Asive Langwe’s lob was parried by Kushibiki, Mthembu had his low drive cleared off the line by a defender.

Bidvest Wits midfielder Langwe was having his best game of the tournament and also came close to extending the score-line when he curled a 30-yard shot just wide of the far post.

At time Amajita’s interplay was breathtaking and into injury time they pieced together another brilliantly intricate yet fast flowing move, although Mthembu was too tightly marked to get in a decent effort on goal at the end of it.

After the restart there was no letting up on the pressure from Amajita as Langwe continued to threaten the Japan goal, coming close in both the 46th and the 54th minutes.

Seango was also heavily involved in and around the Japan box, dragging an 18-yard shot inches wide before having a back post shot saved.

There was a rare chance for Japan after 50 minutes but Yuya Kubo’s powerful drive was kept out by SA keeper Gershi Kock.

It was however still against the run of play that Japan equalised, scoring in the 70th minute when Masaya Matsumuto pulled the ball back for Shinya Yajima, who showed excellent control before scoring with a very well taken volley.

Closing action saw both side having chances on goal, but Seango shot straight at Kushibiki while at the other end Kubo made space for himself before firing high into the stands.

The game then went straight to penalties and Amajita took the first advantage when substitute goal keeper Lebo Ngubeni saved from Kubo.

But it was all even when Seun Ledwaba hit the post with his spot kick.

Both sides then converted twice from the spot before Ngubeni made his second save, this time denying Matsumuto.

But Mthembu failed to put the game to bed as he also had his spot kick saved.

More drama followed as Nguebi saved from Naoki Kawaguchi before Amajita captain Mbonegni Gumede finally secured the third place position for Solly Luvhengo’s charges.

BY Obakeng Maje

The Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Friday, 01 June 2012 was witness to a thrilling 8-Nation International Tournament semi-final which saw Brazil inching out South Africa 4-3 on penalties after the match had ended 2-2 after extra time.

Amajita, spurred on by a lively and sizable home crowd, took the game to their more illustrious opponents in the opening 20 minutes.

The South Africans played some incisive, exciting football, at times mesmerising their opponents with the skill and pace of their attacks.

Snethemba Ngidi, Thabanbi Mthembu and Cebo Meyiwa were particularly prominent for the host nation in a storming opening, during which time their best chance saw Junior Sibande volleying a corner kick straight at the Brazil keeper.

So it was certainly against the run of play that Brazil were to score the opener in the 26th minute, the goal being netted from a low first time shot by Misael Bueno, following a pin point cross from Bruno Mendes.

Character was needed by Amajita, and the players obliged.

The equaliser was a well worked move, ending with Mthembu taking the ball on the edge of the box, running across a defender and lashing a 16-yard shot past Matheus de Oliveria; 1-1 on the half hour mark.

But, parity was only to last for 10 minutes when Amajita gifted Brazil a goal as Gershi Kock fumbled a routine shot, before he and defender Sibande became entangled and ended up combining to put the ball in his own net.

To Kock’s credit he had twice earlier done really well to rush off his line and intercept moves that had seen Brazil bearing down on goal.

After the restart Amajita were able to reassert themselves as they again found their rhythm.

In the 54th minute Mthembu broke clear of the Brazil defence, but succeeded only in dragging the ball across the goal, not missing by much.

Three minutes later Ngidi was also close when he curled a left-footed shot onto the roof of the net.

The hosts then lost their momentum somewhat and had to apply some last ditch defending to keep out a goal-mouth scramble 10 minutes from time.

But they soon regrouped before again starting to threaten the visitors’ goal.

And the reward for their persistence came, when, with eight minutes of regulation time left, Sibande whipped in a dangerous ball at the near post, which saw Mthembu doing superbly to head into goal from an awkward angle.

Closing minutes saw all the action taking place in the Brazil box as South Africa surged forward powerfully for a winner, but they could not find a way past a desperate Brazil defence, taking the match to extra time.

Amajita had the first chance of extra time when Maselaelo Seango hit a beautiful 35-yard shot which was bound for the top corner until de Oliveira made a superb diving save.

Seun Ledwaba then brought out another great save from de Oliveira with a shot from the edge of the box.

There was a chance apiece in the second half of extra time as Mthembu just failed to get a decisive touch on Ledwaba’s cross, while at the other end Jean Deretti was inches wide with a grass-cutter.

The game went to penalties and each team missed a spot kick, before Daylon Appolis was unlucky enough to see his penalty hit the upright.

BY Obakemng Maje

The 8-Nation International Tournament reaches the business end of the competition with the semi-finals and final scheduled for this weekend in Cape Town.

The semi-finals take place at the Athlone Stadium on Friday, 1 May 2012, with the first match kicking off at 18H00 where Argentina faces Japan.

The second game is between Brazil and host nation South Africa, who finished second behind Argentina in Group A after beating Ghana and Nigeria.

The final is scheduled for Cape Town Stadium on Sunday, 3 June at 16H30, with the third place play-off starting at 14H00. 
 
The four semi-final coaches all had words of praise for the high level of competition, the valuable experience their players gained, as well as the good organization of the tournament.

Together with their respective captains, the coaches were in attendance at the press conference ahead of Friday’s showdowns. 
 
South Africa coach Solly Luvhengo 
 
“We have had some tough games and we are very happy to have made it through the group. We played Argentina and we lost 3-1 in the first match, but I think Brazil’s style is different. Brazil insists on playing their own style and they never compromise it.

“They are very strong, both in attack and defence. We have to come to the party, this is a massive experience for the kids – you never get this kind of competition, playing all the teams of this calibre in one week.

“Now we are the only African team left in the tournament. I would love to go through to the final, and maybe meet Japan, because we have already played against Argentina, now we are playing against Brazil, I would like to play everybody!” 

Brazil coach Ney Franco 
 
“This tournament is helping us build our youth team for the Under-20 World Cup. We are very happy to be amongst the last four, but our objective is to get to the final. The teams that are there deserve it.  
 
“Now we playing South Africa and we remember that two years ago we lost to them. What I have observed is that the African teams are playing a similar style in terms of their position on the field.  
 
“They have strikers that play like wings and we need to have our attention on their strong wing play. They have good possession and we have to work hard to neutralise this.” 
 
Japan coach Yasushi Yoshida 
 
“Every one of the teams we have played was tough, so we are fortunate to still be in the tournament. The level of competition has been a great experience for my players.  
 
“The four teams left are even stronger than the others and I hope that my young players utilise all their powers to ensure our best play so we can get victory.”

Argentina coach Marcelo Trobbiani 
 
“The teams left are very even, it’s good to see South Africa qualifying after losing their first game – they have done very well. There are different styles of play and it will be a very good semi-final.  
 
“The Japanese are very gifted technically. They play very good football and are very quick – they have a superior way of playing and a good idea of what they want to accomplish. They know how to play with the ball and how to attack.”

BY Obakeng Maje

Day four of the 8-Nation International tournament in Cape Town promises to serve up another feast of exciting youth international action during Monday’s (28 May) double header at Athlone.

Brazil will be firm favourites to pick up their second win of the tournament when they face Kenya at the Athlone Stadium.

Kickoff is at 18h00.

The Brazilians won their first match 1-0 against Cameroon, while Kenya was comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Japan.

Kenya will need to work on their finishing if they are to have any chance of upsetting Brazil – against Japan the east Africans squandered several very good opportunities.

The bad news for Kenya coach Stanley Khayo and his players is that Brazil feel they have plenty of room for improvement on their first game, with their intentions set on lifting the trophy next weekend.

“We expect more from a Brazilian team, but considering first game anxiety we did well (against Cameroon). My technical team will analyse our next opponents, Kenya and Japan, and then advice best how to plan for them within our system,” said Brazil head coach Ney Franciso da Silveira.

“We are taking things step by step, but it would be very important to win this tournament, for the generation of players we are bringing through.”

The second match of the day kicks off at 20H30 and sees Japan facing Cameroon.

The West African side acquitted themselves well against Brazil in their first game, losing 1-0 despite putting the South Americans under severe pressure in the second half.

Cameroon however will be desperate to take at least a point off Japan as they look to keep their dreams of qualifying for the semi-finals alive.

However, the way Group B is panning out, a win would be a much more preferable outcome for the West African side.

Japan coach Yasushi Yoshida was satisfied with his team’s 3-0 win over Kenya in their opening match, but concedes that in Cameroon, the Asian side will have a much tougher challenge.

“We showed very good team-work and passing early on in the game against Kenya and this is something we need to repeat. We understand they are very strong, and we will need to get 100 or more percent out of what we have,” said Yoshida.

“We’ll need to improve on the performance against Kenya if we hope to get a good result from the match against Cameroon.”

BY Obakeng Maje

The South African Under-20 bounced back from their defeat to Argentina in scintillating style with a 2-0 win over Ghana in an 8-Nation International tournament game played at Cape Town Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Ghana had looked a very strong side in their 3-2 win over Nigeria at Athlone on Friday, but couldn’t come anywhere near to replicating that performance, finding themselves surprised by the purpose and intensity of the home side, who were outstanding on the day and could even have won by three or four goals.

It was South Africa who dominated the first half, by far enjoying the better and more frequent chances on goal, and their two goal lead at half time was well deserved.

Despite Amajita’s inferiority in terms of physical stature, a spirited and lively display by Solly Luvhengo’s side saw them putting the Ghana goal under threat.

The host nation had the first opportunity of the match in the eighth minute when Snethemba Ngidi fired a free kick inches over the bar.

A minute later Andile Nqabeni had an even better chance to put Amajita ahead, but from 10-yards out in front of goal he shot straight at goal-keeper Felix Annan.

Midway through the stanza the west Africans started to show some threat in front of goal, but managed no better than a couple of half chances as Moro Ibrahim had a shot deflected marginally wide and also got a header on target.
In the 34th minute the home side were unfortunate not get on the score-sheet when Ebrahim Seedat’s shot found its way to Thabani Thembu, but the Ghanaians were able to scramble the ball off their line.

South Africa finally got the goal their play deserved when in the 38th minute Ngidi’s angled free kick was headed in by Thembu; his second goal of the tournament.

Five minutes later and Amajita were celebrating again as they doubled their lead.
Bidvest Wits’ Junior Sibande was the scorer, netting from close range after a goalmouth scramble had come about after Annan had spilled a cross.

The second half remained intense and fast-paced like the first, the difference this time though that the Black Satellites were far more dangerous on attack.

It was Amajita however who could have netted the first goal of the second stanza when Thembu found himself in on goal, but from the edge of the box his low drive was well saved by Annan.

In the 55th minute the home team were fortunate to escape conceding a goal as Fatawu Abdul struck the base of the post, the rebound falling to Benjamin Annan-Fadi, who shot straight at goal-keeper Lebo Ngubeni.
The South Africans though always appeared to be good for a third goal and were able to carve open the Ghana defence with relative ease.

Ngidi was the main instigator, the diminutive SuperSport player twice setting up chances in quick succession around the hour mark, but both Thembu and Jerruy Mxabo failed to make use of the opportunities that came their way.

With 10 minutes to go Ngidi again showed his class when a mazy run took him past several` defenders and into the box, but he then elected the wrong option in trying to pick out a team-mate instead of shooting.

Ghana pushed hard for a goal late on, but South Africa were able to hold on without conceding – the clean sheet yet another positive aspect to a fantastic day.