Draw with Zambia enough for KO slot
The South African under-17 team face Zambia today in the final round of the Cosafa Cup group phase qualifiers as they seek to emulate the U20 (Amajita) and Banyana Banyana, who have qualified for their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournaments.
Amajimbos head into today’s match at 3pm with their tails up after a 4-1 annihilation of Mozambique on Sunday propelled them to the summit of Group B at the 12-nation competition in Mauritius.
Zambia edged Lesotho 1-0 in another group fixture at the weekend to set up an interesting end with places in the knockout stage beckoning.
A draw for coach Molefi Ntseki’s charges against the second-placed Zambians will seal South Africa’s place in the semifinals.
Angola were the first to confirm their place in the last four with a 4-0 thumping of Swaziland yesterday, while Malawi eliminated Zimbabwe with a 5-0 margin.
The Malawians could yet finish as the best runners-up and book a semifinal place with a big win over Swaziland, who are still in contention.
Group A leaders Botswana need just a draw against Namibia to book their place in the semifinals.
A win for Namibia would see them leapfrog Botswana into first place. But if Mauritius beat Seychelles, that result, coupled with a Namibia win, would see all three sides finish on six points.
The regional tournament serves as a qualifier for the Afcon in Tanzania next year.
Today’s fixtures
Namibia v Botswana, 12pm Seychelles v Mauritius, 12pm South Africa v Zambia, 3pm Lesotho v Mozambique, 3pm