NIAMEY – After their semifinal loss, the South African Under-20 team (Amajita) are looking to end their Caf 2019 Africa Cup of Nations campaign on a high note on Saturday when they play Nigeria in the bronze medal play-off at the Seyni Kouche Stadium in Niamey, Niger (start 5.30pm SA time).
And team captain Khulekani Kubheka has come out in confident mood: "We will do everything in our power for a positive result," he said on Friday.
Amajita qualified for their second Fifa Under-20 World Cup in a row after beating Burundi 1-0 in their final Group A match to book their place in the final four of this continental competition.
In the knockout stages, Amajita were beaten 1-0 by Senegal, who will now face Mali in the final on Sunday.
Kubheka said it was unfortunate that they missed out on an opportunity to play in this year’s final, adding that the Nigeria match was another opportunity for them to finish the tournament on a high.
“Football is a 90-minute game and sometimes, in knockout stage matches, it can be stretched to 120 minutes,” Kubheka said.
“For us, this Nigeria match is another 90 minutes where we will apply ourselves to push for a positive result. We played to a 0-0 draw in our group match against them but this is another opportunity for us to prove that we can beat them.”
Kubheka added: “We gave it our best in our knockout stage matches, however, unfortunately, it was not to be.
"Our main objective was to qualify for this year’s upcoming Under-20 World Cup and also push for a winners' medal in this tournament. We intend to finish off this tournament on a high,” said a confident Kubheka.