Amajita edge past resilient Tanzania to claim first vital three points at the AFCON U20

Amajita needed a goal from man of the match, Shakeel April, to seal this victory, and they ground out the result against a very tough and physical East African opponent.

Amajita head coach Raymond Mdaka says they had to dig deep in this game, to get a result.

"And we knew that for us to get results we need to grind, it needs character. Sometimes, it's beyond tactics, it's about the character of the boys, the fighting spirit, they are a good team, honestly, they believe in their strengths, they play to their strengths and they've got two strong players, physically so,” Mdaka said.

“They played crosses, they made it difficult for us because we are good on the ground and they wanted us to chase those long balls. So, it was quite difficult, but other than that, we appreciate the character of the boys to stay with that 1-0 that we scored earlier until the end of the game."

READ: Orlando Pirates to give aerial weakness attention after Sekhukhune United defeat

After losing the opening game against the hosts Egypt, 1-0, having missed several goal-scoring opportunities, Mdaka made four changes to his starting line-up for this game and says it was informed by how he was approaching this game.

"Exactly, it was about more of the physicality of the opponents, you see Egyptians are not that physical, they play good football, good tactically so, you can put your players who are good in terms of playing the ball, it's match to match but when you have got players who are a bit physical, you need character,” he explained.

“You see the number 7 that got the Man of the Match, it's somebody who plays with character, somebody who can fight. You need players who can stand in terms of any challenges that they come across, physically or anywhere in the field of play, so we had to make those changes and put the other players on the line."