25 March 2025 – The South African U20 men’s national team beat Botswana 4-1 at the UJ Soweto Campus in Johannesburg on Tuesday to complete a second victory in their two-match series.
The home side demonstrated their strength, but Botswana came into the match with renewed confidence, pressing harder and creating numerous opportunities throughout the game.
SA took an early lead with Langelihle Phili, Siviwe Magidigidi, and David Morwaswi all finding the back of the net in the first half. Botswana responded with a goal from Oteng Aphiri, who scored in the first half to keep his side in the contest. However, SA sealed the win with a second-half goal from Shakeil April, showcasing their attacking depth and tactical versatility.
After a dominant performance in the first match, South Africa was put to the test in the second game on Tuesday by a Botswana side that was determined to bounce back. The visitors showed resilience and tactical discipline, and although they were unable to overcome the South African side, they made significant strides compared to their previous encounter.
Botswana’s head coach, Itumeleng Radimo, reflected on his team’s performance: “South Africa is a tough team, but I think we came more prepared this time around. There were plenty of opportunities that we should have taken advantage of in the first half. We pressed harder and created more chances, but we couldn’t capitalize on them.”
SA coach Raymond Mdaka was pleased with the result and the opportunity to test out new tactics ahead of the U20 AFCON. “The mandate for today was to win, mainly, but also to test out a few players together and some tactics we’ve been working on. For instance, having three defenders towards the end of the game and four forwards. This gives us more of an advantage to be adaptable in high-stakes situations.”
With the AFCON fast approaching, South Africa will now head into camp once again for final preparations ahead of the prestigious tournament, which kicks off in Ivory Coast on 26 April 2025. This camp will be crucial as the team works on refining their strategies and selecting the final 21 players in the team.
