Amajimbos coach Vela Khumalo values the lessons his players learnt from the 2025 Fifa Under-17 World Cup in Qatar after they were eliminated by Japan in the last 32 on Saturday.
Japan thumped South Africa 3-0 to elbow them out of this junior global spectacle, where Amajimbos had made history by getting out of the group stages for the first time.
Emile Witbooi and Shaun Els, who both scored two goals, and goalkeeper Lwandiso Radebe, were among Amajimbos players who impressed, while skipper Kamohelo Mareletse, in the central midfield position, also held his own.
“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,” Khumalo said.
“Dedication, tactical discipline, doing things at the right time and knowing exactly in which phase one needs to do them — those are the things that one has learnt for us to get even further in the tournament next year.”
Khumalo feels his young troops tried their best against Japan.
“To be honest, the boys played well and showed character. I think the man of the match should be their goalkeeper. We bow out and say thank you to South Africans for the support since we started until now.”
Egypt, Zambia, Tunisia and Senegal were other African nations eliminated from the round of 32 at the weekend, while Morocco, Mali, Uganda and Burkina Faso progressed to the last 16.
Sowetan
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