There are tournaments that test a young team, and then there are tournaments that reveal it. The story of Amajita in FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile was exactly that, a revealing journey defined by resilience, tactical growth, and a belief that refused to dim even when the odds tilted the other way.
A tough opening against France set the tone
South Africa’s U20 men opened under the lights at Estadio El Teniente in Rancagua and for long stretches they matched a polished French outfit for intensity and structure. A lapse in concentration, a turnover deep in their half, and Anthony Bermont punished them with a close-range finish. It was the kind of moment that can rattle a young side.
The response said everything about this group. Kutlwano Letlhaku’s run drew a penalty, and Jody Ah Shene stepped up with the calm of a seasoned professional to level from the spot. The interval arrived with the teams tied and Amajita very much in the fight, their shape intact, their goalkeeper Fletcher Smythe-Lowe assured under pressure.
Coach Raymond Mdaka went to his bench, adding energy with Luke Baartman, Mfundo Vilakazi and Siviwe Magidigidi. Chances came, half-openings that teased at an upset. Then quality cut through in the closing stages as Lucas Michal wriggled clear and found the far corner for France, a 2-1 defeat that stung, yet one that also teased promise. The lesson was as clear as the performance, small margins decide big nights.
Ruthless reset against New Caledonia
Needing a response, Amajita delivered a statement. Against New Caledonia in Rancagua they were dominant in possession, relentless with the ball, and ruthless in front of goal. The scoreboard read 5-0 by the end, but the performance radiated even brighter than the numbers.
Siviwe Nkwali rose to nod the opener, Shakeel April converted a cool penalty after Siviwe Magidigidi was tripped, then Magidigidi struck on the stroke of halftime. He added another soon after the restart, and substitute Lazola Maku completed the rout with a spectacular long-range hit. It was an avalanche built on control, with the match data underlining the gulf, South Africa had 70.2 percent possession, 38 total attempts, and 11 shots on goal to New Caledonia’s two.
The victory breathed life into the campaign and recalibrated belief. With one group match left, momentum had shifted and, crucially, the confidence to turn chances into goals was back in the boots of Amajita.
A statement win over USA secured progression
Few results travel further than a win over a tournament favourite. The United States arrived as heavy hitters, yet it was South Africa who landed the more telling blows in a 2-1 triumph that secured a place in the Round of 16 for the first time since 2019.
The USA struck first through Noah Cobb’s header, but the equaliser came quickly as Neo Rapoo’s teasing cross forced an own goal from Joshua Wynder. Then, right on the cusp of halftime, a long pass from Shakeel April found Gomolemo Kekana who finished with poise for a 2-1 lead. From there, discipline and structure took over. Captain Asekho Tiwani marshalled the line, goalkeeper Fletcher Smythe-Lowe stood tall, and waves of American pressure were absorbed with collective calm.
Mdaka’s substitutions helped close the game, Luke Baartman, Thabang Mahlangu and Sifiso Timba helped dial down the tempo and protect territory. By the final whistle, the storyline was clear, South Africa had less of the ball and faced a barrage of 17 American efforts, yet they were the ones who found the moments that mattered. The group finished with USA, South Africa and France all on six points, with the USA on a superior goal difference of plus ten, South Africa on plus five, and France on plus four.
Heart and growth in the Colombia knockout
The Round of 16 in Talca brought one of the form teams in Colombia and a night that demanded composure. An early scare on a clearance nearly cost South Africa, then Oscar Perea’s cross found Joel Canchimbo for an eighth-minute finish. It could have unraveled there, but it did not.
Instead, Amajita settled, controlled long passages of play, and asked questions through Mfundo Vilakazi and April. Before halftime, Vilakazi twice tested Jordan Garcia, and at the break South Africa had shaded possession 55.3 percent to 44.7, and were effectively level in chance creation.
The reward came just after the restart. VAR confirmed a penalty after Garcia fouled Siviwe Magidigidi. Vilakazi’s first effort was saved, then a retake was ordered for encroachment off the line, and the Mamelodi Sundowns starlet tucked the second with cool precision for 1-1 in the 50th minute. From there the margins narrowed again. Neiser Villarreal smashed Colombia back in front on 62 minutes, and as South Africa chased the game late, Villarreal sealed it on a counter in stoppage time for a 3-1 final.
On another night, the balance of play might have tilted differently. The match stats tell a story of parity, total attempts were 18 for Colombia and 19 for South Africa, shots on target 8 to 7, possession 44.7 percent to 55.3 percent. The scoreboard did not flinch, yet the performance travelled, it spoke to a group growing into the world stage.
“We gave everything tonight. Colombia are a top side, but I’m proud of how our boys fought and represented South Africa. This experience will shape their future careers.”
Head coach Raymond Mdaka
“We believed until the end. It hurts to go out, but we’ve shown that South African football is producing real talent capable of competing on the world stage.”
Captain Asekho Tiwani
What this campaign tells us about South African youth football
There is a thread that runs through this run in Chile. It starts with accountability in big moments after the France opener, moves through ambition and swagger against New Caledonia, sharpens into competitive edge against the USA, and culminates with belief against Colombia. The collective matured inside two weeks.
Leadership coursed through the side. Asekho Tiwani set a tone as captain, steadying the back line during frantic spells, while Smythe-Lowe’s presence became a pillar. In attack, April’s intelligence between the lines, Magidigidi’s directness, and Vilakazi’s courage in decisive moments gave Amajita multiple ways to threaten.
There was also the important emergence of difference-makers. Ah Shene’s composure from the spot against France, Kekana’s ice-veined finish before halftime against the USA, and Maku’s long-range strike against New Caledonia were not isolated flashes, they were indicators of temperament, that quiet quality that carries young players from promise to performance.
Three defining traits of Amajita in Chile
- Resilience after setbacks, the ability to respond immediately to adversity as seen after conceding to France and again against the USA,
- Efficiency in the biggest moments, turning limited territory into goals and defending the box with collective clarity,
- Tactical maturity that grew with each game, smart substitutions from coach Raymond Mdaka and a structure that held under pressure.
The numbers that mattered
Against New Caledonia, the data mirrored the eye test. South Africa controlled 70.2 percent of the ball, attempted 38 shots, and hit the target 11 times, compared to only two attempts and two on goal for the opposition. It was comprehensive in both territory and threat, and it marked a crucial swing in goal difference.
In the group finale against the USA, the margins were strategic rather than statistical. The Americans had a higher volume of efforts, 17 in total, and more of the ball. Yet South Africa’s precision and game management produced the single most consequential result of their group, a 2-1 win that lifted them into the knockouts and left a powerful marker on the tournament narrative.
In the knockout against Colombia at Estadio Fiscal de Talca, South Africa owned 55.3 percent of possession, took 19 attempts to Colombia’s 18, and landed seven shots on target to eight. The final read 3-1 to Colombia, but the performance metrics aligned with the eye, this was a contest decided by clinical finishing rather than control. That distinction matters for a developing side like Amajita.
Match-by-match snapshot
Opening night brought a 2-1 loss to France, with Ah Shene equalising from the spot before a late Lucas Michal winner. The reset featured a 5-0 surge past New Caledonia, goals by Nkwali, April from the spot, a Magidigidi brace, and Maku’s long-range strike. The statement arrived with a 2-1 victory over the USA, an own goal under pressure from Rapoo’s cross and Kekana’s composed finish turning the tide. The Round of 16 ended 3-1 to Colombia, with Vilakazi equalising from a retaken penalty before a Villarreal brace decided it.
Placed together, those four chapters describe a team that embraced the step up in class and discovered new layers of itself. France demanded focus, New Caledonia rewarded ambition, the USA validated belief, and Colombia taught the hard edges of knockout football. Each opponent, in its way, revealed another facet of South Africa U20.
The road ahead
Campaigns like this one do not end at the final whistle, they echo forward. The message from the dressing room was unity and growth, and the quotes from the coach and captain did not feel like platitudes. They sounded like a promise, that this experience in Chile will shape careers, inform the next cycle, and lift standards throughout the pathway.
There is no silver lining to elimination, yet there are silver threads woven through the performance tapestry. The ability to chase a game without losing structure, to turn half-chances into goals under pressure, and to defend the area with purpose, those are bankable habits. Add the confidence of a historic win over the USA, the composure from the spot in pressure moments, and the leadership kernel provided by Asekho Tiwani, and you have a foundation that feels more like a launchpad.
In Chile, Amajita did more than compete. They convinced. They convinced themselves that their game can travel. They convinced opponents that South Africa’s youth football is producing talent and temperament. And they convinced supporters that the future can be approached with optimism rather than hope alone.
Sometimes, that is how a tournament turns into a turning point. The results will remain in the record, France 2-1, New Caledonia 0-5, USA 1-2, Colombia 3-1. The impression will live longer, a group that grew game by game, and left with heads held high, and a horizon filled with possibility for Amajita.
