The SA UNDER-20 national men’s team have been knocked out of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Niger.
Amajita narrowly lost out 1-0 to Senegal in their semi-final clash at the Stade General Seyni Kountche in Niamey last night.
They were knocked out at the same stage in the 2017 edition at the hands of neighbours and eventual champions Zambia.
Amajta went into the clash having conceded only one goal in the tournament, which came in their 1-1 draw against hosts Niger in the first match.
Senegal wasted little time putting Amajita on the back foot when proceedings finally got underway after a lengthy delay.
Amajita struggled to get a foothold in the match with the bumpy pitch not conducive to their slick passing game.
The Young Lions of Tharanga on the other hand were having no such problems as they pinned their opponents back and had the Lion’s share of possession.
But to their credit, Amajita were able to thwart the West Africans’ attacks for the entire first half.
Coach Thabo Senong’s boys had relied heavily on their solid defence during the tournament, however, it could not save them against the tournament’s top goal scorers.
After waves of attacks from the Senegalese that proved fruitless, they were finally rewarded for their efforts in the 70th minute.
Midfielder Ousseynou Niang’s fantastic wing play saw him put in a dangerous cross that was inadvertently put in his own net by Amajita defender Givemore Khupe.
Amajita almost got the equaliser at the death, however Senegal goalkeeper Dialy Ndiaye pulled off a heroic save.
Amajita will now face Nigeria in the third place playoff on Saturday before Senegal and Mali clash in the big final on Sunday.
Senong’s boys will still hold their heads high after making the country proud by qualifying for their second consecutive FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will be staged in Poland from 25 May to 16 June.
They will be joined by their conquerors Senegal, Nigeria and Mali as the African representatives at the showpiece event.
