THE SA Under-20 national men’s team kicked off their U-20 Cosafa Championship title defence on a positive note.
Amajita thrashed Mauritius 5-0 at the Sunset Stadium, in Lusaka on Thursday.
The new look side are determined to pick up from where the previous group, which won the last two editions back-to-back, left off.
Helman “Midnight Express” Mkhalele, who was former mentor Thabo Senong’s assistant when they won the last two editions, is looking to make his own mark.
The 50-year-old has made it no secret that he intends to make it three titles in a row.
His side signaled their intentions early in the match, with debutant Sinenjongo Mkiva putting Amajita ahead with a lovely tap in ten minutes into the tie.
Two minutes later, Keagan Mitchell, who was playing only his second match for the national team, doubled their lead.
Amajita took a comfortable 2-0 lead to half time. Mauritius put up a bit of a fight in the second half, holding out until the 73rd minute before conceding the third.
Oswin Appollis got his name on the score sheet for Amajita with a powerful strike from inside the box.
The 18-year-old was not done yet as he bagged his brace five minutes later.
Mauritius were restricted to speculative efforts and did not seriously threaten the Amajita goal.
Athenkosi Mcaba put the final nail in the coffin, scoring the fifth with the last kick of the game.
