Team SA’s football boys side picked up their first win of the Region 5 Youth Games with a dominant display, defeating Botswana 3-0 at the Unam Stadium in Windhoek on Monday, writes Mark Lemke.
Team SA started strongly and took complete control of the game early on. The first goal came in the 15th minute following an intricate link up between Emile Witbooi and Selwyn Stevens, with the ball finding the back of the net through a tap in finish by Stevens.
It did not take long before the second arrived. In the 25th minute, Witbooi went short to Stevens, who drove into the box and cut it back to Witbooi. The No10 beat his man and squared it across the six-yard box for the captain, Bokamoso Mokokosi, to tap it home.
The third came 15 minutes into the second half thanks to Omphometse Sekgoto dribbling into the box and powering it into the far bottom corner.
Team SA continued to threaten until the final whistle without allowing Botswana to generate a clear-cut opportunity.
South African footballing legend and assistant coach, Thabo Mngomeni, shared his thoughts after the game on his team’s performance. “We are happy with the result. We had more discipline today when it came to sticking with our plan and we played forward a lot more than we did in our previous game.”
This U17 side is currently preparing for the World Cup in November, and Mngomeni is thankful of the team’s opportunity to compete in the Region 5 Youth Games against tough competition. “These games are great preparation. The teams we are facing are not easy to deal with and give us a lot to think about. We are happy with our development, but there is still much to improve on.”
Their final game in Group B is on Wednesday against Eswatini at the Hage Geingob Stadium. They need a draw to solidify their spot in Friday’s semi-finals, however, they will be looking to grab all three points and enter the knockouts in top form.
Photo: Frennie Shivambu
