Latest news with #AfricanYouthChampionship
IOL News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Smith, Smythe-Lowe and April shone for Amajita in Egypt at U20 Afcon
Patrick Autata of South Africa celebrates winning the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations. Photo: BackpagePix Image: Backpagepix The South African U-20 men's team achieved the improbable as they won the country's first ever African Youth Championship title in Egypt on Sunday night. En route to the crown, Amajita beat Morocco 1-0 in the final at 30 June Stadium in Cairo courtesy of Gomolemo Kekana' scorcher. Coach Raymond Mdaka opened up during his post-match press conference that it was a team effort that enabled them to surpass the class of 1997 which only finished as runners-up. But there were individuals that ensured Amajita climbed to the top of the continental rankings, and that's why we look at three of them below. Man of the Competition. ✅#TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 Champion. ✅ Amajita's celebrate and Tylon Smith has two reasons to. 🏆 — CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) May 18, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Tylon Smith – Defender Smith duly walked away with the Player of the Tournament award, thanks to a host of Player of the Match performances throughout the tournament. Smith didn't only marshall Amajita's defence against the run of play or out of possession, but he was creative in build-up play, linking defence with midfielders. The towering defender put his height into good use during setpieces, chipping in with crucial goals, including the lone header during the win over Nigeria in the semi-final. 🏅 𝕄𝔸ℕ 𝕆𝔽 𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕄𝔸𝕋ℂℍ 🏅 Amajita goalkeeper Fletcher Smythe-Lowe! 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 🇿🇦 1⃣➖0⃣ 🇲🇦 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐨 🚨 LIVE 🥇 Final 📺 SABC 2 📱 #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) May 18, 2025 Fletcher Smythe-Lowe – Goalkeeper After making crucial saves and assisting Kekana's goal in the final, there were also a range of expectations for Smythe-Lowe to scoop the Player of the Tournament award. But it wasn't to be as he lost out to teammate Smith. Nevertheless, he showed his goalkeeping prowess, and is tipped to follow in the footsteps of some of the country's greats. Smythe-Lowe, en route to four clean sheets in the tournament, pulled off some incredible saves and was able to organise his defence against set-pieces. Shakeel April – Winger Having arrived in Egypt with some few minutes under his belt for the Cape Town City first team, that showed in April's game against his peers. The winger wasn't only a thorn in the flesh for the opposition's defence, but his decision-making was spot on, especially when he was in possession. Sure, he didn't score as many goals as he'd have liked to, but his attacking prowess opened up space for the rest of his teammates up front.
IOL News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Amajita, South African athletes shine with dominating performances in 2025
DOMINATING South African athletes have excelled so far in 2025 with Amajita's African Youth Championship victory, junior women's hockey triumph, and standout performances by sprinters Bayanda Walaza and Akani Simbine. Picture: Ayman Aref/BackpagePix We're only in the fifth month of the year and already it's been a stellar one for South African athletes and teams on the world stage, with the men's Under-20 football side the latest of these triumphs. Amajita claimed the African Youth Championship title on Sunday, beating Morocco in the final in Egypt. The victory of the junior side shows how strong SA football is at the moment, with Bafana Bafana on the verge of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since the 2002 edition, and the team also having finished third at last year's Africa Cup of Nations. With the under-20s showing they too are among the best on the continent, it certainly bodes well for the future.
