Amajita need a miracle
Progress to next stage not in their hands
v v Had SA’s Under-20 team won at least one of their two matches, they would have a better chance of advancing to the knockout phase of the Fifa U20 World Cup in South Korea.
Going into their last Group D match against leaders Uruguay at Incheon Stadium tomorrow, the South Africans know that even a win may not be enough to see them through.
Only the top-two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams advance to the round of 16, and Amajita hopes of qualifying for the next phase largely depends on them finishing as one of the four best third-placed nations from the six groups.
Although it would take a serious miracle, Thabo Senong’s charges still have a chance to claim second spot in Group D. That will happen if they beat Uruguay by three goals or more and remain optimistic that whoever wins between Italy and Japan wins by a large margin without conceding.
Amajita captain Tercious Malepe will hope for an improved defensive performance.
Even Senong admitted that only luck can guarantee them a berth in the knockout stages. “We are hopeful that luck will be on our side [tomorrow] because we will have to rely on other games to qualify,” said Senong after the Italy defeat on Wednesday.
As it stands, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Portugal and Ecuador are the best four third-placed countries. This could change as some nations play their last group stages games today.
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