The South African Under-20 team will rekindle its rivalry with Morocco when they clash for the CAF Under-20 Afcon gold medal at the Cairo International Stadium tonight at 9pm.
Twenty-eight years ago in 1997, Morocco defeated the South Africans who had the likes of Benni McCarthy, Matthew Booth, Stanton Fredericks, Steve Lekoelea and David Kannemeyer, to mention but a few. So, Amajita, which boast youngsters such as Mfundo “Obrigado” Vilakazi, Tylon Smith, Neo Rapoo, Kutlwano Letlhaku and Thabang Mahlangu, will be seeking the glory of winning the tournament for the first time in Mzansi’s history.
The Under-20 continental tournament opens doors for young and upcoming players, as was evident with the 1997 group that went on to become superstars. At that tournament, they played against France superstars such as Thierry Henry, Mikael Silvestre, David Trezeguet and Wily Sagnol.
In Thursday’s semifinal, both teams punched their tickets to the final with gritty 1-0 wins. Amajita saw off Nigeria, thanks to a header from Smith, while Morocco overcame tournament hosts Egypt, courtesy of Jones El Abdellaoui.
“The boys have shown character,” said Amajita coach Raymond Mdaka after the win over Nigeria. “They were disciplined in all the matches and they stuck to the technical and tactical agreements we agreed on during training sessions.”
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said, “The final is still ahead, and it will be against a South African team that has shown great quality. They’re strong, organised, and they don’t give anything away easily. We’ll plan carefully for the biggest match of our lives.”
