Injury blow for Amajita as captain Asekho Tiwani heads home

Tiwani returned from Egypt last night alongside Kaizer Chiefs striker Naledi Hlongwane, who appears to be struggling to be registered for the tournament. 

The Mamelodi Sundowns defender, who was one of the most experienced players in the team, got injured in the opening game against the hosts, and coach Raymond Mdaka shared an update.

"With the captain, it might not be so bad but it's something that cannot heal now – that's the challenge, so we had to release him," said Mdaka.

"It's something that might take more than three weeks, we're not sure, but from the doctor's side, it's something that he can't immediately play now.

"It's the biggest blow because we had him and Mbekezeli [Mbokazi], and I would know that I'm rock solid at the back, but we can't cry, it's a situation that happens in football, and we'll see how we go forward without them."

After losing 1-0 to Egypt on the opening day, Amajita, who dominated the encounter, are under pressure to collect points and retain their chance of progressing to the knockout stage.

Mdaka says they will have to be more clinical at Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia later this evening (kick-off is set for 17:00 SA Time).

"The team is fine, honestly, the mood is still the same and the commitment during training, you can see we're hungry for what we did not do well in the previous game – just to score goals. Other than that, the boys are fine and ready," he added.

READ: Missed opportunities haunt Amajita as Egypt claim win