The Under-17 Team SA football boys are through to the final of the Region 5 Youth Games after beating Angola 2-0 at the UNAM Stadium in Windhoek, writes Mark Lemke.
The opening five minutes set a physical tone for the match when the Team SA left-back Fhumulani Mchunu was forced to come off after a knee on knee collision in the opposition box.
The first big chance of the game came in the 20th minute through an Angolan strike from range which whistled over the bar.
That chance seemingly sprung Team SA into life with chances coming their way frequently. In the 30th minute, a composed sidefoot volley finish by Emile Witbooi put the young South African side in front.
The half ended 1-0 and the boys in yellow were in high spirits.
The positive first 45 minutes bled into the second half as Team SA’s control of the contest grew. In the 65th minute, Team SA attacking midfielder, Steve Mendes, incredibly lobbed the keeper from near the halfway line to double the lead and likely secure the goal of the tournament.
As the game edged closer to its conclusion, you could see the boys begin to enjoy themselves more by the minute. Despite a bumpy surface, the South Africans put together quick and clever passing sequences.
The full-time whistle sounded to end an imperious performance and begin the celebrations.
Assistant coach, Thabo Mngomeni, took a minute away from the festivities to give his thoughts on the performance. “It was a great performance all around and this squad is progressing nicely.”
He went on to explain the final improvement they will be working on ahead of the match for gold. “We are going to focus on balancing discipline with freedom. You could see we expressed ourselves on the pitch today, but it needs to come in the right moments. We are looking forward to the final. It will be a great game.”
The final will take place on Sunday in the same venue against Zambia/Malawi. After today’s dominant display, they have every right to be confident they will be crowned champions.
Photo: Frennie Shivambu
