Amajimbos tipped to grow in confidence after grinding out opening win

Amajimbos recovered from a goal down to win  2-1 against a strong Senegalese team, in a Group D game played at the King Mohamed VI, in Sale, Rabat last night. Second-half goals from Inganathi Simama and an own goal from Cheikh Thior did the trick for the South Africans. 

Khumalo says this was their first game ever against West African opposition, and they did well under the circumstances...

"Our first game is a victory and we are happy about it, one can also say we are not really happy about the performance. This was our first encounter with a West African team and we got the result which shows the boys have the character."

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Before their departure, Khumalo had raised the importance of selecting different types of players for this tournament, with a bit more emphasis placed on height and physical strength. 

The Kaizer Chiefs youth coach, was vindicated by their advantages in the second half, with a player like Ziza Qotoyi standing out...

The ultimate goal for Amajimbos remains qualification for the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar later this year, and Khumalo, who was there last year with the group of Emile Witbooi and others, now says qualification is following. 

He believes they are just three points away from qualification...

"We are just one step ahead and three points will be enough for us to be in the World Cup which is the most important thing. We want to qualify for the World Cup and the rest of the games will sort itself out. If we can qualify consecutively for the World Cup that will make us very proud. I've watched a bit of Algeria and from what I saw we stand a good chance of qualifying for the World Cup and leading the group."

Now, in its second season, the annual AFCON U17 and World Cup tournament is starting to bear fruits for some consistent teams like South Africa. Khumalo is also full of praise for the festival approach and the manner in which Morocco is hosting this tournament...