Amajita defeat Morocco in Egypt to claim historic first U20 AFCON title

The decisive moment came in the 70th minute when midfielder Gomolemo Kekana fired home a superb goal after racing onto a long-range pass from goalkeeper Fletcher Smythe-Lowe. The goal was confirmed by VAR and proved to be the winner, crowning South Africa as continental champions for the first time at this level.

It was a landmark achievement for Amajita, who avenged the 1-0 defeat suffered by a previous generation in the 1997 AFCON final against the same opponents. Notably, none of the players who featured on Sunday had been born when that match took place 28 years ago.

South Africa controlled much of the play in the opening half, enjoying more possession than they had in their semi-final win over Nigeria. Mfundo Vilakazi and Shakeel April both registered early shots, while Morocco struggled to cope with the attacking threats posed by Kekana, Vilakazi and Lazola Maku.

Morocco came closest to scoring early in the second half when the ball fell kindly to Jones El Abdellaoui in the box, but he was denied by a crucial save from Smythe-Lowe.

In response, South Africa made key substitutions before the hour mark, bringing on top scorer Thabang Mahlangu and Patrick Autata to maintain their attacking momentum. The move paid off as Amajita found the breakthrough soon after.

South Africa's road to the final included victories over DR Congo in the quarterfinals and Nigeria in the semifinals, underscoring a strong campaign.

As U-20 AFCON champions, Amajita will now represent Africa at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile later this year.

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