Mdaka Demands More Ahead Of U20 AFCON
Despite the South African U20 football national team winning 6-0 against Botswana U20 at UJ Soweto Stadium on Saturday, coach Raymond Mdaka was not satisfied with their performance.
Amajita started the game strongly in the first half, scoring three goals. Jody Ah Shene scored a brace, while his teammate Shakeel April netted the third goal after 20 minutes.
Mfundo Vilakazi and Langelihle Phili added three more goals in the second half, bringing the score to 6-0 in favor of the home team. Kaizer Chiefs’ youngster scored twice, with one of his goals being a remarkable free-kick.
“Not that much [of a good game]. Maybe we played to the strengths of the opponent. The way I know our team, we should have performed much better. I think it got into the players’ minds to say, ‘Botswana won’t pose much of a challenge,’ which is something we shouldn’t do because we’re preparing [for AFCON],” Mdaka stated.
“Sometimes it’s fine because we score goals, but we need to apply ourselves seriously since we’ll face challenges if we don’t move forward. So, we need to shed the mindset of taking opponents lightly. We must consistently do the right things.”
Vilakazi, Phili, and Kutlwano Letlhaku did not make it to the starting lineup for Amajita on Saturday. Mdaka explained why this trio didn’t start.
“We want to see some of the players in different positions. We have a strong team, but we wanted to give some players a chance,” Mdaka added.
“It makes us feel good to say, ‘Yes, we can have a team that plays, and also a team that is on the bench.’ You look at players like Mfundo [Vilakazi], Letlhaku, and Major [Phili]; these are players who sometimes play in their first teams because they are very good.”
This match was friendly as Amajita prepares for the upcoming U20 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON], scheduled to take place in Ivory Coast from April 26 to May 18, 2025. Amajita is in a tough group in the AFCON, drawn alongside Morocco, Egypt, and Nigeria.
On Tuesday, Amajita and Botswana will meet again at the same venue as they continue their preparations for AFCON.
