Latest news with #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20
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.
TimesLIVE
19-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Mdaka credits PSL's Diski reserve league for Amajita's Afcon success
Amajita coach Raymond Mdaka has given the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC), the Premier Soccer League's under-23 reserve league, a fair share of credit for his team's historic Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) triumph. South beat Morocco 1-0, thanks to Gomolemo Kekana's stunning 70th-minute strike and a tenacious performance, to lift their first U-20 Afcon trophy at Cairo International Stadium on Sunday. After Bafana Bafana's 1996 title and Banyana Banyana's success of 2022, Amajita are only the third South African football side to be crowned continental champions. When joy turns into rhythm. 🕺🎤 #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 — CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) May 18, 2025 Many crucial Amajita players - such as Stellenbosch FC defender Tylon Smith, who scooped the Player of the Tournament accolade, Kekana of Mamelodi Sundowns and his teammate in Thato Sibiya, Kaizer Chiefs' Sifiso Timba - play in the DDC for their respective clubs. 'I salute the DDC because it made it easy for us to be able to see players weekend after weekend, going to different places,' Mdaka told SABC Sports. 'Our country is so big, so if it weren't for the DDC, we wouldn't be able to see them. You couldn't drive to do follow-ups on players, but through the DDC, we were able to see players. 🥇 𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝕌𝟚𝟘 ℂℍ𝔸𝕄ℙ𝕀𝕆ℕ𝕊 🥇 South Africa's U20 side, Amajita, made history on Sunday night by winning their first-ever U20 Africa Cup of Nations title by defeating Morocco 1-0 in the final held in Egypt. #SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) May 19, 2025 'So we salute them and we say they have done a good job for the country.' Goalkeeper of the Tournament Fletcher Smythe-Lowe, who is on the books of Portuguese side Estoril's U-19s, is the only player who is not locally-based in Mdaka's squad. The 18-year-old put on some impressive displays, especially in the semifinals against Nigeria and in the final against Morocco, where he also walked away with the man of the match award. Smythe-Lowe dedicated his man of the match award in the final to the SA U-20 team, especially the back room staff. 'This award is for the team. I mean, with only me and without them, we would be nowhere. 🏆 𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝕌𝟚𝟘 🏆 ⚽️ ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Amajita's goal stands following a VAR intervention! 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 🇿🇦 1⃣➖0⃣ 🇲🇦 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐨 🚨 LIVE 🥇 Final 📺 SABC 2 📱 #SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) May 18, 2025 'Together we are stronger. It is nice to do my part, but the real plaudits go to everyone, even the people behind the scenes; physios, doctors, fitness coaches and the players too. 'It's amazing what we've been able to do.' Amajita's first success in the U-20 Afcon came in their second final appearance, the first coming when coach Shakes Mashaba's generation of Benni McCarthy, Matthew Booth, Junaid Hartley and Stanton Fredericks lost 1-0 to hosts Morocco in the 1997 last game, 28 years ago. South Africa had sealed their ticket to the U-20 World Cup, to be staged in Chile from September 27 to October 19, by reaching the semifinals. SowetanLIVE
TimesLIVE
13-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Nigeria have teased U-20 Afcon semi opponents Amajita as ‘junior brothers'
Amajita coach Raymond Mdaka ranks guiding to them to their fifth Fifa Under-20 World Cup as the biggest achievement of his career. He vowed his side will give their all in Thursday's Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations semifinal against Nigeria, though they have already achieved 'the bigger goal' of sealing qualification for the World Cup in Chile in September and October. Mdaka revealed Amajita have shared a hotel with Nigeria, and the banter started between Flying Eagles and the South Africans before they were pitted against each other in the semis. Substitute SuperSport United striker Thabang Mahlangu, 19, scored the winner four minutes into added time of the first half of added time in Monday night's 1-0 quarterfinal win against Democratic Republic of Congo at Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt. Thabang Mahlangu does what he does best ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ His 3rd #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 goal ✊🏽 South Africa 🇿🇦 vs 🇨🇩 DR Congo — P Management Sports (@PManagementRSA) May 12, 2025 Mdaka glowed with pride afterwards, saying the qualification was the high point of his career. 'I've achieved some special things as a coach — you remember I took Marumo Gallants to the Confederation Cup semifinals [where they lost to Yanga of Tanzania in 2023] and I won the Cosafa Cup with this team [in October],' the coach said. 'But I will regard taking this team to the World Cup as the highest feat of my coaching career. Qualifying a team for the World Cup is the biggest thing in football. 'It wasn't an easy route, especially because we were in a group of five teams, which means we had to play four matches and we passed that test by qualifying for the quarterfinals. And when we got there we knew we were one step away from going to the World Cup, so the boys really gave their all — and here we are today.' Amajita face long-standing rivals to South Africa in football Nigeria in their semifinals at Suez Canal Stadium (5pm SA time). Mdaka the Nigerians, staying at the same hotel in Ismailia, have teased Amajita, calling them 'junior brothers'. 'In all our games we plan to play to win and we will continue with that mentality against Nigeria. Yes, we've achieved the bigger goal but we can't just let Nigeria walk all over us. 'We are staying at the same hotel and already they're saying we're their junior brothers, so you already know it will be a tough game, especially with the rivalry too.' Mdaka surprisingly did not use two of his key players in Kaizer Chiefs' Mfundo Vilakazi and Kutlwano Letlaku of Mamelodi Sundowns against DR Congo. The Amajita coach said the decision was 'just tactical'. Thursday's later semifinal sees hosts Egypt meet Morocco at Cairo's June 30 Stadium (8pm).
