Amajimbos coach Vela Khumalo values the lessons his players learnt from the ongoing Under-17 World Cup in Qatar after they were eliminated by Japan in the round of 32 over the weekend.
Japan thumped SA 3-0 to elbow them out of this junior global spectacle, where Mzansi had already made history by getting out of the group stages for the first time. Overall, Amajimbos scored eight goals, scoring five in four games. They never kept a clean sheet.
Emile Witbooi and Shaun Els, who both scored two goals, alongside goalkeeper Lwandiso Radebe, were some of the Amajimbos players who impressed, while skipper Kamohelo Mareletse in the central midfield position also held his own.
“In the World Cup you learn so many things. You learn that even if you can be good on the ball, if you don’t know how to use it properly, you’ll be punished,” Khumalo said.
“Dedication, tactical discipline, doing things at the right time and knowing exactly in which phase one needs to do them - those are the things that one has learnt for us to get even further in the tournament next year.”
Khumalo feels his young troops tried their best against Japan.
“To be honest, the boys played well and showed character. I think the man of the match should be their goalkeeper. We bow out and say thank you to South Africans for the support since we started until now,” Khumalo noted.
Egypt, Zambia, Tunisia and Senegal were other African nations that were eliminated from the round of 32 over the weekend, while Morocco, Mali, Uganda and Burkina Faso progressed to the round of 16.
Sowetan
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