SA U-20 Coach: "Ghana Not Invincible"

Amajita coach Serame Letsoaka says they are quietly confident of upsetting the applecart and beating Nigeria in the knockout stages of the Fifa Under-20 World Cup.

The South Africans qualified for the next round by virtue of a brilliant 2-0 defeat of Honduras on Saturday, but they face a different test altogether in the Black Satellites, who finished top of their group.


Ghana beat Amajita 4-3 in the semifinal of the African Youth Championships in Rwanda, but Letsoaka insists they can turn the table tomorrow.


“In Rwanda they were leading 4-1 and we came back to lose 4-3. This time around they are one of the best teams in the tournament, but that does not mean they are invincible. We can go out there and upset them. We just need to score an early goal to unsettle them, then we can take it from there,” he tells KickOff.com.


“The players are willing to die for their country and that is the spirit we need. All eyes are on us and we want to stay focused and win the game. We want to break all records by going beyond what people thought of us. We want to make our country proud.”

Meanwhile, Steve Lekoelea insists the current Amajita side is better than the class of 1997, which he was part of.


“The further they advance in the tournament the better they have become,” ‘Chippa’ tells KickOff.com. “In 1997 we didn’t get beyond the first round, but they have achieved that and are ready for much more.”


Lekoelea also feels the fact that Amajita faced Ghana in the African Youth Championships earlier this year give them a slight edge.


“This gives Amajita a chance because they already know their opponents. They know what to expect and they also know what to do if they are to win,” he adds.