Amajita need discipline – Senong
AMAJITA coach Thabo Senong has urged his troops to maintain the discipline from their previous matches when they clash with a flamboyant Senegalese side in the semi-final of the Africa Youth Championships (AYC) at Stade General Seyni Kountche in Niamey, Niger, tomorrow (8.30pm).
With the primary target to qualify for the World Cup achieved, Senong and his charges have now turned their focus into making this year’s final, having finished fourth in the last edition. The Young Lions of Teranga won’t be walkovers, though, considering they bossed the Western Africa Football Associations (Wafu) Under-20s tournament in December, adding to the fact they were the first team to qualify for this year’s tournament in Poland while they had a game to spare in Group B.
“We have to work very hard,” Senong said after their 1-0 win over Burundi in the last match of the group stage. “They are a team of hard-working players, and they are fast in transition. We need to be very organised.”
In Amajita’s first two matches, they managed to salvage draws against Niger (0-0) and Nigeria (1-1) – in matches where they were arguably the second best on the pitch.
However, the South Africans produced an improved performance in their last encounter against the Burundians – booking their spot in the global showpiece for the second successive time. Many might argue the gallant display on Friday was due to the starting of overseas-based players Khanya Leshabela and Kobamelo Kodisang – who play in England and Portugal respectively – as they were used sparingly previously. However, Senong is convinced that his newbies took a bit long to adapt to the demands of the continental showpiece.
It might have taken Amajita the last match to seal their place in the knockout stages of the tournament, but there were positives in the first two matches – particularly defensively. They played two goalkeepers Glen Baadjies and Khulekani Kubheka, and the duo only conceded once in the opener. That was a massive improvement.
And, Amajita are still jovial over their unbeaten record, having last tasted defeat 18 months ago against Italy, in the last match of the World Cup group stage in South Korea.