South Africa beat Zambia and qualify for the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations — TimesLIVE

South Africa's U-20 national team defeated Zambia 4:2 in the semifinal of the COSAFA U-20 Championship in Maputo, Mozambique, securing a place at the Africa Cup of Nations, which Ghana will host next year. Following the victory, the team also advanced to the tournament final, where it will face the hosts, Mozambique, on Sunday at ABB Stadium.

A comeback victory after the break

According to TimesLIVE, the South Africans were trailing after the first half. Zambian player Duncan Musialela opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a header.

In the second half, Steven Mendes converted a penalty in the 62nd minute, his fourth goal of the tournament. Two minutes later, Oarabile Buyse put South Africa ahead, but Jonathan Kalimina subsequently equalized for Zambia.

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Late in the match, Mendes converted a second penalty after Kalimina handled the ball in the penalty area. In stoppage time, Emil Witbooi made a solo run from the halfway line and scored his first goal of the tournament, setting the final score at 4:2.

Coach's reaction

South Africa U-20 head coach Raymond Mdaka praised the team for its character. According to him, at halftime he urged the players to be more active in attack and add speed in the final third.

Mdaka noted that coming back from 0:1 in a tense match and scoring several more goals was not easy. The coach added that the team's main task was qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations, and it has already been achieved.