Amajita's 1-0 triumph over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the CAF U20 AFCON quarter-finals on Monday night has secured their qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Having qualified for the quarter-finals by finishing first in Group A after their 1-1 draw with Zambia on Friday, the South Africans faced the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congolese had advanced as the third-placed team in Group C, with their group stage performance yielding one win from three matches.
Amajita's head coach, Raymond Mdaka, decided to make some changes to the starting lineup that featured in the draw three days earlier, bringing back Shakeel April, Mogamat Abrahams, and Thato Sibiya.
In the early part of the first half, the Congolese side held the majority of possession and created a few opportunities. Fletcher Smythe-Lowe in the South African goal denied Faveurdi Bongeli, while Jules Ahoka failed to capitalize on a header within the first 25 minutes.
South Africa, on the other hand, sought to hit on the counter-attack. The speed of Jody Ah Shene and April caused some issues for the Congolese defense, though they could not force a save from the goalkeeper in the opening 45 minutes.
At the commencement of the second half, Raymond Mdaka, Amajita's head coach, introduced Langelihle Phili and Patrick Autata, with Abrahams and Sibiya making way.
The second half unfolded similarly to the first, with Congo enjoying more of the ball but failing to convert their territorial advantage into goals. Meanwhile, South Africa's attempts to score on the counter-attack were not entirely successful.
THE MATCH HEADED TO EXTRA-TIME AFTER 0-0 SCORELINE
The match headed to extra-time after Congo's late chance in regular time saw Jules Ahoka's header from a Messy Manitu pass saved by Smythe-Lowe in the final ten minutes.
The decisive moment came on the stroke of halftime in extra-time when April's cross found Thabang Mahlangu, who controlled and finished from close range for his third goal, giving South Africa the lead.
