Amajimbos in u17 FIFA World Cup draw, Italy takes group lead
Following an impressive 3-1 victory over Bolivia in their opening game, the u17 South African national team, known as Amajimbos, was held to a 1-1 draw by the resilient host nation of the u17 FIFA World Cup, Qatar, at the Aspire Zone, in Doha City, on Thursday.
Amajimbos were stunned only three minutes into the contest when Qatar took the lead through Yazan Mohamed.
His strike was a big boost for the home team which had suffered a 0-1 loss to Italy in their opening match on Monday. That same day, South Africa beat Bolivia.
Qatar’s lead didn’t last long, however, with the man of the match, Emile Witbooi, equalising for Amajimbos in the 16th minute.
Despite pressing hard for a win, South Africa was unable to crack the Qatari defence again, with some good opportunities being missed. The hosts, meanwhile, were unable to pose any real threat to goalkeeper Lwandiso Radebe.
Italy moved to the top of the Group A standings after a comprehensive 4-0 win over Bolivia.
It took them until the 35th minute to take the lead against the South Americans, with Simone Lontani netting. Only three minutes later, though, they were two goals to the good, thanks to a Samuele Inacia goal.
Nine minutes after the break, Destiny Elimonghale made it 3-0, and Fabiao Pandolfi delivered the final blow by netting during added time.
The tournament, which features 48 teams for the first time, will see the top two teams from each of the 12 groups progress to the knockout stage. They’ll be joined there by the eight best third-placed teams.
After the draw with Qatar, Amajimbos coach, Vela Khumalo, told SAFA Media that, “It was not the result we were anticipating, but we knew we were playing against the hosts, and we were well aware of how they wanted to play.
“We made our analysis, and this is exactly how we thought they would approach the game. In fact, if you look at the goal that we conceded, it was from our own mistake.
“Other than that, they sat at the back and were hoping to play from transition. Their plan worked. They stuck to it. Congratulations to them.”
Reflecting on his side’s performance, Khumalo continued: “I also think we were not really aggressive or even showed a little bit of individual brilliance. But it was not our day. We were not really on the ball. We got a draw, which we can take and go home.”
South Africa’s final Group A match against Italy takes place on Sunday at the Arrive Zone Pitch, in Doha.
