The South African Under-17 Men’s National Team, Amajimbos made a dream start to their FIFA U17 World Cup campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Bolivia at the Aspire Zone Complex in Doha, Qatar, on Monday.
The win was a historic one for coach Vela Khumalo’s side, it is Amajimbos’ first-ever victory at the global showpiece, marking a remarkable turnaround from their debut appearance in 2015, where they lost two games and drew one.
However, the triumph did not come without challenges. The young South Africans were reduced to 10 men in the 35th minute after Sive Pama was shown a red card for a foul. The referee initially handed him a yellow card, but after a Football Video Support (FVS) review requested by Bolivia, the decision was upgraded to a sending-off.
Despite being a man down, Amajimbos struck first three minutes later through Emile Witbooi, who netted the opener after his initial effort rebounded off the upright.
Coach Khumalo introduced Lebohang Dhlamini and Alwande Booysen after the break for fresh energy, and the substitutions quickly paid off. Neo Bohloko doubled the lead in the 50th minute to put South Africa in a commanding position.
Bolivia later made use of the FVS again to challenge a Dhlamini tackle in the box, resulting in a penalty that Jesus Maraude converted in the 72nd minute to make it 2-1. But Amajimbos were not done yet. Substitute Shaun Els put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time, calmly slotting home the third goal to seal a famous 3-1 victory.
“Our analysis was spot on,but was only disturbed by us being one man down, and that made us tweak and change our tactical approach to the game. However, we created the chances of still playing from transition. Our boys showed maturity and growing, understanding the technical changes and tactical flexibility that happened, and I’m proud of our boys honestly,” said Khumalo.
The Amajimbos coach also praised the implementation of FVS technology in the tournament, despite it being used against his team. “It is very good for youth football, it helps. I did not get to use any of my advantage from my side but from the other side (Bolivia) they used it and think it is good for the development of football in the world,” said Khumalo.
Amajimbos will look to build on this historic win as they continue their FIFA U17 World Cup journey in Qatar.
IOL Sport
