Amajita akhe phantsi isitya sigcwele kumdlalo we-Under-20 FIFA World Cup wokuqala abethwe kuwo ngo’2-1 yiJapan ngentsasa yanamhlanje eSuwon World Cup Stadium. Amakhwenkwe elizwe loMzantsi Afrika ngawo awuqale kakuhle lo mdlalo ngokuthi ankqonkqoze kunozinti weJapan ekwenza konke oko eyibeka phantsi ibhola ekwasebenzisa amandu. Ade avuzwa Amajita ngomzuzu wesixhenxe kwisigaba sokuqala somdlalo ngethuba uGrant Margeman ebeka ibhola emnatheni ebetheke kumdlali weJapan.

Igowuli elifunyenwe ngaMajita kulo mdlalo liwanike amandla Amajita okumelana neziququ zeJapan ekuye kwanyanzeleka itshintshe indlela ebidlala ngayo kuba ibikhangela indlela enokuthi ifumane ngayo igowuli lokulinganisa. Amajita aphantse afumana igowuli lesibini emva kokuba uKeletso Makgalwa ongqube ngentloko ibhola ephume ecaleni [yena] ephakathi kumhlaba kanozinti. Nangona amakhwenkwe kaThabo Senong ebexhathisile kwesi sigaba sesibini – kodwa ifolosi yeJapan, uKoki Ogawa, ebengoyena mdlali okhathazayo.

Izinto zijikile kwisigaba sesibini. IJapan ibuye kwixesha lokuphumla inamandla. Umqeqeshi waMajaphani ufake umdlali oyingozi, osedyongo ngokweminyaka ogama linguTakefusa Kubo (15) emva kweshumi lemizuzu kwisigaba sesibini. Zisuka nje, edibene no-Ogawa, bawushukumisile uMzantsi Afrika phaya emva. Ngelo xesha iJapan ibikhangela igowuli lesibini emva kwegowuli elifakwe ngu-Owaga oshiye unozinti waMajita, uMondli Mpoto, egqwethekile. Ngomzuzu wamashumi asixhenxe ananye, uKubo uvalele emnatheni igowuli lesibini leJapan. USenong ufake uLiam Jordan endaweni kaWiseman Meyiwa, uzamile ukudibanisa iibhola esiswini esiya phambili – kodwa ibibumbe emva iJapan futhi ingafuni nova.

Emva kwalo mdlalo wokuqala, abadlali boMzantsi Afrika abanakusola nyawo lwemfene ngokubethwa kwabo ngoba ngabo abafumene amathuba nabangakwazanga ukuwasebenzisa kakuhle. Isoloko ingeyongxaki ukukhokela phambili kumaqela oMzantsi Afrika onke – kodwa yingxaki ukuwuqoshelisa umdlalo. Kwenzeke lo nto nakulo mdlalo wanamhlanje. Amathuba ebekho, qha abadlali abaqinisekisanga ukuba bayawasebenzisa kakuhle abekufanele awanike impumelelo yokuqala kumdlalo we-2017 Under-20 World Cup.