Amajimbos surprised by heroes welcome home

SOUTH Africa’s national Under-17 (Amajimbos) captain Nelson Maluleke was the first one to walk out of the international arrivals doors at OR Tambo International Airport yesterday.

He appeared a little shy and embarrassed following Amajimbos’ 2-0 defeat to Mali in the African Under17 Championship final. Maluleke openly admitted that not having the championship trophy in his hands made him feel like the squad had failed the country.

Amajimbos beat Cameroon 3-1 in their final group stage encounter to progress to the semi-finals, were they beat Nigeria 1-0 to book their place in the final. “I did not expect this,” Maluleke said of the reception Amajimbos received at the airport. “We lost in the final and I thought no one was going to pitch to welcome us back.

“Seeing my parents here and the level of support from the fans means a lot to us (the squad). We now have qualified for the (Under-17) World Cup and everybody is happy with that outcome. We have to refocus and regroup and work really hard towards doing well in the World Cup.”

In the group stage Amajimbos drew 2-2 against Mali, after conceding two goals in the first half before a stirring comeback secured them a valuable point. But in the final Maluleke said they found themselves overwhelmed by the crowd.

“The group stage clash was easy,” he said. “There were no spectators backing them (Mali) and it was easy for us to push for a comeback. The final was different.

“Their supporters came out in their numbers and I must admit that had an effect on us. We controlled most of the first half but second half proved to be a little difficult for us. Fatigue started to showand they capitalised on that.”

Amajimbos coach Molefi Ntseki shared the sentiments: “We played very well in the final and it’s quite unfortunate that we lost. We had studied them before and we knew what to expect from them. I must admit the crowd had an effect on the game. We planned really well and it’s quite unfortunate that we didn’t win the final. Beating Nigeria in the semifinal was one of the greatest highlights of our participation in the tournament.

“The fortunate part is we qualified for the World Cup – that was main objective going into this tournament. I’m glad that we reached that objective and we now have to focus on preparing well for the World Cup finals.”