Amajimbos bow out of U-17 World Cup after loss to Japan

Amajimbos' FIFA U-17 World Cup journey has come to an end after a 3-0 loss to Japan in the Round of 32 at Zone Complex in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday.

The South Africans secured their spot in the Round of 32 after finishing second in their group, while the Japanese topped their group without a loss.

Amajimbos coach Vela Khumalo reflected on the performance and the lessons learned.

“It was a game of two halves – we were in the game in the first half, and we should have taken the three or four chances that we created, but we take the lessons. The second half was more of a mistake from us, and they scored, and that opened up the game. But then we lost concentration and they scored two more goals,” said Khumalo.

“To be honest, the boys played well and showed character. I think the man of the match should be their goalkeeper. We take a bow and say thank you to the South Africans for the support since we started until now.”

MAKING HISTORY

After an absence of 10 years, Amajimbos returned to the world stage and stunned many by qualifying for the second round – a historic first for the South African U-17 Men’s National team.

They started strongly with a 3-1 win over Bolivia, followed by a 1-1 draw against Qatar, and then went down 3-1 to Italy in the group stages. Khumalo noted that the entire experience was a learning curve for the squad.

“In the World Cup, you learn so many things. You learn that even if you can be good on the ball, if you don’t know how to use it properly, you’ll be punished. Dedication, tactical discipline, doing things at the right time and knowing exactly in which phase one needs to do, will we get better in the next World Cup? Those are the things that one has learned to say for us to get even further in the tournament next year, what are the things that we need to take from this World Cup, which I have in my notes,” Khumalo added.

AFRICAN CONTIGENT

South Africa joins Egypt, Zambia, Tunisia, and Senegal, who were all knocked out on Saturday, while Morocco, Mali, Uganda, and Burkina Faso progressed to the Round of 16. Ivory Coast did not make it out of the group stages.

Japan will face North Korea in the Last 16 of the tournament Amajimbos are expected to land in South Africa on Monday afternoon.

READ MORE:

Amajimbos make history, Coach Khumalo 'over the moon'

Amajimbos triumph over Bolivia in U17 World Cup opener

Amajimbos secure first win on return to U17 World Cup

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