Mali power past Amajita

17 April 2011

The South African Under-20 side’s African Youth Championship hopes are in tatters after they lost 4-2 to Mali at the Dobsonville Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Amajita started positively, and indeed for large parts of the first half, played some neat passing football around the middle of the park.

But too often their play in the final third lacked a cutting edge – for the most part the Mali rearguard was not overly stretched.

The Eaglets were happy to sit back and soak up the pressure and hit on the counter-attack, which they did three times to great effect, the presence of burly Paris St Germain striker Kalifa Coulibaly more than a handful for the South African defence.

Tafeeq Salie was by far the busier of the two keepers and after 11 minutes he was picking the ball out the back of the net when Cheick Doumbia struck with a blistering 30-yard effort that packed just too much power and swerve for the Ajax Cape Town shot stopper.

The home side though were to get back on level terms nine minutes later when Lucky Nguzana chased a through ball into the box and finished with a magnificently struck low shot from an extremely tight angle out on the left.

The parity however only lasted for two minutes as the west Africans quickly put themselves back in front as Coulibaly sprinted into the box, leaving the Amajita defence for dead before hitting a left-footed shot across Salie and into the net.

Despite South Africa trying to play their way back into the game, the Eaglets were always a threat on the break and in the 39th minute they further extended their lead when Coulibaly powered his way into the box, rounding Salie and slotting in to an empty net.

Early moments of the second half were evenly contested and it looked as if Amajita could get a goal, they may well just have gotten back in to the game.

However, their hopes were dashed when an amateur moment from Salie saw him dropping a long hopeful free kick which allowed Ibrahim Diallo to bundle the ball home from close range – Mali 4-1 up after 67 minutes.

Following the goal, the South Africans did their best to play their way back in to the game, with Jabulani Ncubeni offering a threat down the left flank.

Too often though their attacks fizzled out to nothing as the west Africans remained in control at the back.

With 17 minutes to play Letsie Koapeng wasted a good chance when he headed over the bar after pin-point cross from his Wits club team-mate, Enrico Adolph.

Amajita were finally rewarded for their efforts as they scored their second goal in the 78th minute, Nguzana netting his brace with a back-post volley after Ncubeni’s well-aimed cross from the left.

Try as they might the hosts just could not find another goal as the Eaglets comfortably held on to full time for an accomplished, well deserved victory.

With Egypt and Leshoto making up Group A, Mali will be firm favourites to join the north Africans in the last four – it appears a long way back now for Amajita.