{"id":31661,"date":"2025-10-06T15:11:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T13:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=31661"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:47:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:47:07","slug":"amajitas-fifa-u-20-world-cup-knockouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/amajitas-fifa-u-20-world-cup-knockouts\/","title":{"rendered":"Amajita&#8217;s Historic Victory Sends South Africa to FIFA U-20 World Cup Knockouts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South Africa\u2019s U-20 football team, Amajita, have made history by advancing to the knockout stages of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Their 2-1 win over the USA on Sunday secured second place in Group E, marking the first time South Africa has reached this stage since 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Raymond Mdaka was full of praise for his team&#8217;s remarkable performance, particularly under pressure, as they overcame the odds to claim a crucial win. The victory not only showcased their tactical acumen but also their determination to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">Yes!!! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yw9zSxVZd5\">pic.twitter.com\/yw9zSxVZd5<\/a><\/p>&mdash; SAFA.net (@SAFA_net) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SAFA_net\/status\/1974960540020789525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">October 5, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-amajita-bounce-back-after-early-setback\"><strong>Amajita Bounce Back After Early Setback<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The match against the USA started with a blow as the Americans took the lead in the 12th minute through Noah Cobb\u2019s goal. However, Amajita responded quickly, with Joshua Wynder scoring an own goal just five minutes later, bringing the game back on level terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moments before the break, Gomolemo Kekana put South Africa ahead, netting a vital goal that gave them a 2-1 lead going into halftime. It was a huge moment for Amajita, who had been under pressure from a USA side with a strong attacking record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">And this is how it ends in Chile <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ABbm4QDNWq\">pic.twitter.com\/ABbm4QDNWq<\/a><\/p>&mdash; SAFA.net (@SAFA_net) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SAFA_net\/status\/1974959979359871251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">October 5, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3183398959\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-defensive-resolve-secures-south-africa-s-place\"><strong>Defensive Resolve Secures South Africa&#8217;s Place<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the second half, the USA pushed hard for an equaliser, but South Africa remained resolute. The team\u2019s defensive discipline, led by goalkeeper Melusi Buthelezi and the backline, ensured they held onto their lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Coach Mdaka reflected on the importance of maintaining composure under pressure, with the support from back home playing a pivotal role in their success. &#8220;We showed great character and tactical understanding,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We kept our belief and earned the result we wanted. Now, we focus on the next challenge.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-colombia-up-next-in-the-round-of-16\"><strong>Colombia Up Next in the Round of 16<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With their group-stage campaign now behind them, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safa.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">South Africa<\/a> will take on Colombia in the Round of 16, with the match scheduled for Wednesday at 9:30 PM South African time. The team will look to build on this victory and continue their historic World Cup run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Check also: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/amajita-u20-fifa-world-cup\/\">Amajita Begin Their U20 FIFA World Cup Campaign in Chile<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amajita&#8217;s impressive win against the USA has sent a clear message that they are not only capable but ready for the challenges ahead in the knockout rounds. With their confidence boosted, they\u2019ll now focus on overcoming Colombia and making further strides in this year\u2019s FIFA U-20 World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>What are your thoughts on Amajita\u2019s knockout chances? Share your thoughts below!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amajita&#8217;s 2-1 win over the USA sees South Africa reach the knockout stages of the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the second time, setting up a clash with Colombia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":31664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Amajita's 2-1 win over the USA sees South Africa reach the knockout stages of the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the second time, setting up a clash with Colombia.","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[905,286],"class_list":{"0":"post-31661","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-amajita","10":"tag-bafana-bafana"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31661"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31665,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31661\/revisions\/31665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}