The South African National U20 Men’s team kicked off their 2024 COSAFA U20 Championship tournament with a staggering 5-0 against Malawi on Friday afternoon at the ABB 2 Stadium in Mozambique.
The starting squad was consolidated with three of Mamelodi Sundowns youngsters, while one was on the substitute list, coming in in the second half. Kutlwano Letlhaku managed to net one, while Siyabonga Mabena bagged two assists, to help Amajita top the Group C table.
Coach Raymond Mdaka’s side started off the encounter with immediate impact, looking to find goals, especially in the opening ten minutes of the match. Malawi equally retaliated with two threatening chances but the Amajita goalkeeper was excellent in the box to deny them goals.
Soon enough, Amajita were able to find an opener of their COSAFA Championship campaign through Shakeel April of Cape Town City, who was able to score a brace before the break.
Upon the return of play, the Malawi side attempted to pull a trigger but a miss that went over the bar denied them a goal. Two minutes later a third goal came from Amajita through Jody Ah Sheen. Coach Raymond introduced new men into the pitch and among the substitutes was Downs’ Letlhaku. Letlhaku did not waste no time as he made immediate impact and added his name on the score sheet. It was his teammate, Mabena who set him up to hit a stunner, making it four goals for his side.
The South African outfit concluded the proceedings with a fifth shot that hit the tongue of the net. This shot came through Mbekezeli Mbokazi to conclude the encounter. Amajita are now first in the Group C table. Their next match is against Lesotho on Sunday, the 29th of September 2024.