It is crunch time in the FIFA U17 World Cup deep in the Gulf region of Qatar, and Amajimbos will contest for a spot in the last 16 against Japan on Saturday afternoon.
The game will get underway at 3:30pm (SA Time)
The young South Africans will be looking to join their continental brothers, Mali and Morocco, in the next round of the World Cup, who booked their place by beating Zambia and the USA, respectively, on Friday.
Amajimbos will now have an opportunity to go further in the junior global showpiece when they face off against a Japanese side that topped Group B ahead of tournament favourites Portugal.
Second still best
Coach Vela Khumalo’s side progressed to the round of 32 of the World Cup in Qatar after finishing second in Group A following their 3 -1 defeat to Italy last Sunday.
“We’re having a clean bill of health, and that’s a plus for us. I think it came at the right time. We had injuries through and through, but now, all the players are available. The red card [Sive Pama was sent off against Bolivia] is also out,” Khumalo told SAFA media.
“So, we have a good competition for this, and we are going to establish who we are going to play and plan around so we can have good players to play against Japan.
“This is the World Cup — it’s about moments, and we’ve prepared for this one. It’s going to be tough, but we’ve come too far to stop now. We’ll give it everything,” Khumalo added.
Khumalo will rely on his star players, Neo Bohloko, lanky goalkeeper Lwandiso Radebe, dribbling wizard Emile Witbooi, Selwyn Stevens, Teboho Mlangeni, and captain Kamohelo Mareletse to put out a solid performance in their quest to make history.
Other African nations remaining in the competition are Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Tunisia. They will all be in action on Saturday afternoon.
