Johannesburg – Amajita have been eliminated from the Cosafa Under-20 Championship after a goalless draw with Mozambique at the Wolfson stadium on Tuesday, dealing a shattering blow to their Mauritania  2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Youth Championship dream.
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It was a do-or-die encounter for Amajita who needed to secure an outright win against the Mambas in order to go top of group A and advance to the semi-finals but it was not meant to be as coach Helman Mkhalele’s charges were denied by the goalpost on a number of times as well as a solid Mozambique defence.
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Amajita were unbeaten in the competition finishing second in group A with five points, two points behind the leaders Mozambique. Â Hopes of the best runner-up were teared down as wins against bottom placed teams in group A and B were discarded as part of COSAFA rules.
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Amajita coach Helman Mkhalele expressed his disappointment with the results but also gave credit to his team for the brave fight.
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“We fought, created a number of chances with some cleared off the goal-line but it was just not meant to be. However, I am proud of the boys and how they fought.
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“It is a hard lesson but life goes on and we will learn from this experience,’’ said a sombre Mkhalele.
– Safa.net
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