Following the disappointing exit in the U17 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and officially missing out on the upcoming 2023 Fifa World Cup, coach Duncan Crowie has urged his players to take as many lessons as possible from the tournament.
South Africa crashed out of the Afcon after they were hammered 5-0 by Senegal in their quarter-final clash at the Stade Nelson Mandela on Wednesday evening.
After the match, Crowie admitted that they were expecting the result and believes it will be important for his charges to take lessons from and move forward.
“We came up against a very good team, we knew we were coming up against a good team. We knew exactly what was going to happen,” Crowie said.
“They got really good wing players. Very dangerous on the crosses and that’s how they scored their goals. We knew all about it and we could not stop it and that is the disappointing part of it.
“The important thing is the learning process and that’s what I said to the players. All of us are disappointed but like Nelson Mandela said, he never loses. He either wins or learns.
“The important part is to now sit back and not only for South Africa but for the individual players and well to say, this is what I could have done, and this is what I will do next time in a similar situation.”
Amajimbos held their own and seemed to be in control in the opening stages of the game, until the 36th minute when defender Waylon Renecke miscued the ball into his own net while trying to clear his lines.
His blunder was shortly followed by another own goal by captain Benjamin Wallis, which led to the flood gates opening and eventually exiting the competition in humiliation fashion.
For the latest sports news from Sunday World, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa
