Latest news with #ThabangMahlangu
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Mahlangu receives heroic welcome from Vaal community
EVATON.- Thabang Mahlangu received a heroic welcome from the Evaton North (Ward 19) community after returning from Egypt. This SuperSport United young defender was part of the Amajita team that made history when they were crowned the 2025 African Cup of Nations Champions in Egypt over the weekend. The Amajita team arrived in the country on Tuesday, and the Evaton North community surprised this youngster when they gathered at the Evaton North BP Filling Station to give him a hearty welcome. There was a traffic jam for a few hours as young and old, especially the football community, took to the streets as they chanted Mahlangu's name. This former SAFA Sedibeng Hollywood Regionals League Vaal Juventus FC defender represented South Africa with distinction. Amajita was crowned the AFCON champions and qualified for the U20 World Cup, with Chile as the hosting nation. Speaking to Sedibeng Ster Sport, Dipopo Lenkoe, who initiated this (the welcome), said it was fitting to give Mahlangu a warm welcome back. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
Amajita are the U20 kings of Africa, beating Morocco in the final
Playmaker Mouad Dahak's dipping shot was turned past the post by Lowe. Morocco continued to edge the chances at the start of the second half, Koutoune's low ball drilled in from the right allowed to run by substitute Ismaël Aouad to the feet of Jones El-Abdellaoui to shoot at Lowe from point-blank. Mdaka brought on SuperSport striker Thabang Mahlangu — SA's top scorer with three goals, all from the bench — for a quiet Ah Shene in the 57th. The South Africans, as they had in previous matches, were rewarded for their doggedness, keeping themselves in the match when Kekana opened the scoring in the 70th with a superb drive from the edge of the area, though initially the goal was overruled for offside. The VAR check found at the moment of Lowe's kick from goal, which was missed on the bounce by Reda Laalaloui, Kekana was clearly played onside by Issa Habri on the near side. With seven minutes left Koutoune's cross with a stretched leg from outside the right upright flew cross the face but Othmane Maamma blew Morocco's best chance for an equaliser, heading wide with Lowe stranded.
IOL News
17-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
History beckons for Amajita with Under-20 Afcon title up for grabs against Morocco
Thabang Mahlangu Thabang Mahlangu (No 18, centre) celebrates scoring the winner for Amajita against DR Congo. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix South Africa's national under-20 team will face Morocco in the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations final at the Cairo International Stadium on Sunday at 8pm, with the chance to lift the trophy for the first time. This will be the second meeting between the two nations in a final after Morocco edged South Africa 1-0 in 1997. That remains the only U20 Afcon title Morocco have ever won, while Amajita have yet to lift the crown – making this an opportunity 28 years in the making. The road to the final has been challenging after losing their opening match of the tournament, but the response has been gutsy under the guidance of head coach Raymond Mdaka. His young squad reached the decider after edging out fierce rivals Nigeria 1-0 in a tense semi-final clash in Ismailia on Thursday. That result confirmed their growth and determination, with Amajita showing composure and maturity against a Nigerian side many tipped for the title. 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 ✕ South Africa's youth team have now appeared in seven editions of the U20 Afcon, reaching five semi-finals but only two finals. In 1997, they settled for silver, and on Sunday, they will hope to go one better. Morocco come into this match boasting a solid defensive record. They have not conceded a goal in the knockout rounds, and will rely on a confident backline that has held firm throughout the tournament. Their tactical discipline and ability to capitalise on limited chances make them a dangerous opponent in a final. For Amajita, this is a golden opportunity for redemption. Their run to the final has included tough moments, but the character shown by Mdaka's men – especially against Nigeria – suggests they are peaking at the right time. And with continental pride on the line, the technical team will urge their players to believe they can change history. This fixture is not only about the title – it's also about global representation. South Africa are already one of four nations from the continent who will play in the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Chile later this year, from September 27 to October 19. It's another major milestone, with the Amajita becoming the second SA national team to qualify for a junior World Cup in 2025. Earlier this year, the Under-17 side, Amajimbos, also booked their ticket to the Fifa Under-17 World Cup, which will take place in Qatar. For coach Mdaka, the final represents a reward for months of hard work and rebuilding at youth level. And for the players, many of whom are still relatively unknown in local football, Sunday's final is a chance to make their names resonate far beyond the borders of South Africa. The last time a South African men's team lifted a senior CAF trophy was in 1996. A year later, the Under-20s came close. In 2025, Amajita have the chance to finally finish what that generation started.
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
SA's Amajita hope to fly against Nigeria's Eagles in Afcon U20 semi-final
Thabang Mahlangu Thabang Mahlangu (No 18, centre) celebrates scoring the winner for Amajita against DR Congo. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix The South African Under-20 men's national team have covered the hard yards in the ongoing Africa Youth Championship after reaching the semi-finals to qualify for the World Cup. Amajita beat the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 1-0 in extra time of the quarter-final at Suez Canal Authority Stadium on Monday night. That result, courtesy of a goal from Thabang Mahlangu, meant that Amajita will return to the global showpiece in Chile later this year for the first time since 2017. Amajita have coach Raymond Mdaka and his technical team to thank for their preparations, having also won the Cosafa Championship to qualify for Afcon, which is held in Egypt. However, while most of the job is done, the current crop of players will be eager to follow in the footsteps of the Class of '97, which reached the Afcon final. That won't be easy, though, as they'll have to get past Nigeria in the semi-final at Canal Authority Stadium on Thursday afternoon (5pm kick-off). But having their main objective been granted to date, defender Siviwe Nkwali hopes that the football gods will smile on them once again in the semis. 'I am so happy... This is what we wanted as the guys,' Nkwali told SABC Sport after the win over DRC. 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 ✕ 'This was our main objective. So, now that we have achieved it, we are very grateful to the Almighty. 'We hope that He can guide us to the final now. That's all that's left.' The Flying Eagles are the most successful team at Afcon after winning seven titles and finishing as runners-up twice. So, that's why a win for Amajita wouldn't only give them a huge morale-booster ahead of the final, but for the main event in South America as well. Yeeeeesss! We are going to the semi-finals of the U20 AFCON in Egypt, and we have qualified for the U20 FIFA World Cup in Chile in September 2025!!! — (@SAFA_net) May 12, 2025 With Nigeria set to pose a physical challenge like the DRC, Nkwali, who was relieved with the way his troops defended on Monday, will hope that they adopt the same approach on Thursday. 'It was a very physical game. The DRC team is made up of big players. But we manage to defend well in set-pieces,' Nkwali said. 'They were strong on the set-pieces as well. 'But we managed to contain them because we didn't concede, and we got a late goal in extra time.'
CAF
14-05-2025
- Sport
- CAF
African quartet complete U-20 World Cup line-up for Chile 2025
Published: Tuesday, 13 May 2025 Africa's final four has been confirmed – and with it, the full cast for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile is now complete. Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, and South Africa booked their tickets to the global showpiece after reaching the semi-finals of the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. Their progress seals the continent's allocated four slots, completing the 24-team line-up for the tournament to be staged from 27 September to 19 October in Chile. Each of Africa's qualifiers earned their place through grit, drama, and high-stakes football in one of the continent's most competitive youth tournaments in recent memory. Africa Steps Forward Hosts Egypt edged Ghana in a tense quarter-final that ended 2-2 after extra time before the Pharaohs triumphed 5-4 on penalties in Suez. Nigeria, record U-20 AFCON champions, knocked out defending title holders Senegal in another shootout, also by a 5-4 scoreline. Morocco needed an extra-time own goal to see off tournament debutants Sierra Leone 1-0, while South Africa squeezed past DR Congo by the same margin thanks to Thabang Mahlangu's decisive goal in Cairo. Their progression ensures that Africa will be strongly represented in Chile with a blend of traditional powerhouses and resurging contenders. Tournament Format The tournament will feature six groups of four teams. The top two from each group, plus the four best third-placed teams, will move on to the Round of 16. From there, it's a straight knockout path to the final. This year marks the 24th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup – a tournament that has launched the careers of global superstars. The inclusion of these four African sides, each with their own ambitions and unique styles, adds flavour to what promises to be an unforgettable tournament in Chile. Final Field Set for Chile 2025 The full list of teams qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup is now known, featuring powerhouses from every continent and highlighting the global reach of youth football development. Africa (CAF): Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, South Africa Europe (UEFA): Italy, France, Ukraine, Spain, Norway Asia (AFC): Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, Australia North America (Concacaf): USA, Mexico, Cuba, Panama South America (CONMEBOL): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile (hosts) Oceania (OFC): New Zealand, New Caledonia
