Many, many doors . . . like overseas . . . flying open for Amajita U20 Afcon hero Tylon Smith
Tylon Smith showed composure and creativity in the heart of the Amajita defence in Egypt. Picture: BackpagePix
'They were crying. Especially my mom!' said Tylon Smith after returning from Egypt triumphant after Amajita defeated Morocco 1-0 to be crowned Afcon u20 champions.
The Smith household certainly has plenty to celebrate after the Stellenbosch FC rookie centreback was also named Player of the Tournament for his courageous displays in the heart of the South Africa U20 defence, which was capped with the winning goal against the much-fancied Nigeria in the semifinal.
The 19-year-old known for his composure on the ball and ability to dictate the tempo from defence, played every minute of Amajita's successful campaign and believes it was his mentality along with mother's prayers that helped him over the past fortnight.
'She was praying for me throughout the whole tournament,' said Smith, who was greeted with a hero's welcome at the Stellenbosch FC awards ceremony on Tuesday night.
'Every day, you know, she texted me … 'Good luck with the game. Just be yourself. God is with you.'
'I feel like my mentality was strong. And, yeah, we lost against Egypt, it was a bit tough, but I knew we will bounce back and we will win this thing.
'And after the goal, I scored against Nigeria in the semi-final. I knew we were gonna win this thing.'
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