Ninety minutes and Zambia stand between South Africa’s national Under-20 team, Amajita, and a place in the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier in Mozambique.
Amajita will face the Junior Chipolopolo in a high-stakes semifinal at ABB Stadium 1 in Matola on Friday, September 25, with kick-off scheduled for 12 noon.
The encounter is effectively a winner-takes-all contest, with the victor advancing to Sunday’s final and, importantly, securing qualification for next year’s CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ghana.
South Africa go into the semifinal with plenty of confidence after producing a perfect group-stage campaign. Raymond Mdaka’s charges won all three of their Group B matches, collecting nine points while scoring seven goals without conceding a single goal.
Their latest victory came on Wednesday when they defeated Eswatini 2-0, with Manelisi Mazibuko and Milimo Nalumango finding the back of the net.
The result confirmed Amajita as Group B winners and set up a mouth-watering meeting with Zambia, who also finished their Group C campaign with a perfect nine points from three matches.
The Junior Chipolopolo scored eight goals and conceded only once, underlining the attacking threat they will bring into Friday’s semifinal.
Zambia completed their group campaign with a 3-1 victory over Botswana, with Daniel Silubonde scoring twice and John Foloko adding the third.
It means both teams arrive at the knockout stage unbeaten and with 100 percent records.
For Mdaka, however, the focus is not on their impressive group-stage statistics but on making sure his players remain fully concentrated for what is expected to be a much tougher examination.
The Amajita mentor has stressed the need for maximum focus ahead of the crucial encounter, with qualification for the continental showpiece now just one victory away.
South Africa are also defending their COSAFA Under-20 title and will be hoping to take another step towards retaining the trophy.
The two finalists will automatically qualify for the 2027 CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, making Friday’s semifinal even more significant for both teams.
Amajita’s road to the semifinal started with a convincing 3-0 victory over Lesotho before they defeated Angola 2-0.
They completed their clean sweep with Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Eswatini.
Zambia, meanwhile, have also demonstrated their credentials, winning all three of their Group C matches and scoring freely.
With both sides having identical records of three wins from three, Friday’s semifinal promises to be one of the tournament’s most closely contested matches.
The other semifinal will see hosts Mozambique take on Namibia later on Friday at 6pm, with the two winners meeting in Sunday’s final.
For Amajita, the equation is simple: win the next 90 minutes and they are in the COSAFA final — and on their way to the 2027 AFCON Under-20 finals.