JOHANNESBURG – With qualification for the World Cup in South Korea - the main prize - already achieved, Amajita may have taken the foot off the pedal in trying to see through the remainder of the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday afternoon.
Coach Thabo Senong’s men were beaten 2-1 by Guinea in Zambia to finish in fourth place in the tournament, the defeat taking a little bit of the shine away from their emphatic accomplishment in booking a spot at the junior global showpiece later in May.
It was their second successive loss and a third overall after they were brushed aside by hosts Zambia on Tuesday in the semi-finals. Amajita also lost to Senegal in their second match in Group B.
They got off to an ideal start on Sunday when striker Liam Jordaan scored the opener as early as the fifth minute, but it wasn’t long before Guinea were level. A headed back pass gone wrong from defender Katlego Mohamme was registered as an own goal and Guinea’s Naby Bangoura converted from the spot kick to essentially win the match for his side, claiming third place.
There will be a lot of work for Senong to do ahead of the trip to South Korea for the World Cup, and the coach will be glad some of the lessons have already been learnt at the Youth Africa Cup of Nations instead of at a bigger stage.