EN, FR, PR: Zambia book semi-final place as South Africa take control at COSAFA U20 Qualifier
Zambia became the first team to book their place in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier on Monday, while defending champions South Africa took control of Group B with a 2-0 victory over Angola.
Record 12-time regional champions Zambia cruised to a 3-0 success against Comoros to make it two wins from two in Group C, while Malawi revived their hopes with a victory by the same scoreline over Botswana.
South Africa also maintained their perfect start as goals from Lazola Maku and Steven Mendes saw them defeat Angola, while Eswatini claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory over Lesotho with captain Njabulo Gama grabbing a stoppage-time winner.
The 12-team competition runs until September 27, with the three pool winners and the best runner-up advancing to the semi-finals. The two finalists will qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2027.
Zambia wasted little time taking control of their clash with Comoros as Tumalo Mununga opened the scoring in the fifth minute.
Abel Nyirongo doubled their advantage 12 minutes later to leave the Junior Chipolopolo firmly in control before Kayula Chinunda added a third in the 64th minute.
Zambia had defeated Malawi 2-0 in their opening fixture and now have six points from two matches without conceding a goal.
They are guaranteed top spot in Group C with a game to spare as the only side who can still match their six points are Malawi, who Zambia defeated in their opening game.
Malawi bounced back superbly from that loss to Zambia as they defeated Botswana 3-0 to move onto three points and keep alive their semi-final ambitions.
Misheck Billiat opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before Clever Kalambo doubled the Junior Flames’ advantage three minutes into first-half stoppage-time.
Grant Chibalo completed the victory in the third minute of added time at the end of the contest.
Malawi will conclude their pool campaign against Comoros on Wednesday, while Zambia take on Botswana.
Defending champions South Africa took a major step towards the semi-finals as they defeated Angola 2-0 in the meeting of the two opening-round winners in Group B.
Maku gave Amajita the lead in the 14th minute before Mendes struck four minutes before halftime to double their advantage.
It was a third goal of the tournament for Mendes after his brace in the 3-0 opening victory over Lesotho.
South Africa now have six points from two matches, with five goals scored and none conceded, while Angola remain on three points.
Eswatini also moved onto three points following a dramatic 3-2 victory over Lesotho as they bounced back from their opening 4-0 defeat to Angola.
Gama handed Eswatini the lead in the 13th minute, but Lesotho hit back through Lekanyane Kalache on the half-hour mark.
Andiswa Malaza restored Eswatini’s advantage three minutes before halftime and they held that lead until the dying stages.
Kabelo Tuoane appeared to have earned Lesotho a point when he equalised in the 90th minute, but there was still another twist as Gama struck again a minute into stoppage-time to seal a dramatic victory for Eswatini.
The result keeps Eswatini firmly in the hunt ahead of their final pool fixture against South Africa on Wednesday, while Lesotho remain without a point after two matches.
Attention switches back to Group A on Tuesday, where all four teams remain interested in the race for the semi-finals.
Namibia lead the pool with a perfect six points and need only a draw against Seychelles at ABB Stadium 2 to guarantee top spot.
The Young Warriors have yet to concede in the competition following successive 1-0 victories over Mauritius and hosts Mozambique.
Seychelles are three points behind them after their dramatic 4-3 victory over Mauritius on Sunday and know another positive result would put them firmly in the qualification picture.
Hosts Mozambique also have three points and meet Mauritius at ABB Stadium 1 in the other fixture, which will be played simultaneously at 15h00 CAT (13h00 GMT).
Mozambique opened their campaign with a 4-1 victory over Seychelles before losing 1-0 to Namibia, while Mauritius are still searching for their first points following defeats to Namibia and Seychelles.
With the best runner-up also advancing to the semi-finals, there will be plenty at stake as Group A reaches its conclusion.
Matches will be streamed live for FREE on FIFA+, COSAFA’s YouTube channel and CAF TV. Matches will also be broadcast on TVM.
MONDAY’S RESULTS
Group C – ABB Stadium 2
Zambia 3 (Mununga 5’, Nyirongo 17’, Chinunda 64’) Comoros 0
Botswana 0 Malawi 3 (Billiat 22’, Kalambo 45+3’, Chibalo 90+3’)
Group B – ABB Stadium 1
South Africa 2 (Maku 14’, Mendes 41’) Angola 0
Eswatini 3 (Gama 13’, 90+1’, Malaza 42’) Lesotho 2 (Kalache 30’, Kabelo Tuoane 90’)
TUESDAY’S FIXTURES
Group A – ABB Stadium 2
Namibia vs Seychelles (KO 15h00; 13h00 GMT)
Group A – ABB Stadium 1
Mozambique vs Mauritius (KO 15h00; 13h00 GMT)
GROUP STANDINGS
| GROUP A | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Namibia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Mozambique | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Seychelles | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 3 |
| Mauritius | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 0 |
| GROUP B | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| South Africa | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Angola | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Eswatini | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 3 |
| Lesotho | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 0 |
| GROUP C | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Zambia (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Malawi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Botswana | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 1 |
| Comoros | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 1 |
TOURNAMENT STATS
Matches played: 12
Goals scored: 36
Goals-per-game: 3.00
Biggest victory: Angola 4 Eswatini 0 (Group B, September 19)
Most goals in a game: 7 – Mauritius 3 Seychelles 4 (Group A, September 20)
GOALSCORERS
3 goals – Lorenzo Hoareau (Seychelles), Steven Mendes (South Africa)
2 – Alírio Cuna (Mozambique), Billy Daka (Zambia), Njabulo Gama (Eswatini), Quentin Lalsing (Mauritius)
1 – Faizal Abdala (Mozambique), Naythan Barbe (Seychelles), Misheck Billiat (Malawi), Grant Chibalo (Malawi), Kayula Chinunda (Zambia), Lekanyane Kalache (Lesotho), Clever Kalambo (Malawi), António Kulica (Angola), Fanuel Macuácua (Mozambique), Lazola Maku (South Africa), Andiswa Malaza (Eswatini), Tebogo Mlangeni (South Africa), Jairo Muanha (Angola), Tumalo Mununga (Zambia), Domingos Muxito (Angola), Rashid Naobeb (Namibia), Abel Nyirongo (Zambia), Luís Panda (Angola), Eriano Rajabary (Seychelles), Jean Ravina (Mauritius), Lukas Sakeus (Namibia), Kabelo Tuoane (Lesotho)
L’Afrique du Sud et la Zambie enchainent
La quatrième journée TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier a rendu son verdict ce lundi. Elle a confirmé la suprématie des grands favoris tout en relançant totalement le suspense pour l’attribution des places d’honneur. Dans le groupe B, l’Afrique du Sud a parfaitement dicté son rythme en s’imposant en patronne face à l’Angola (2-0).
Les jeunes Sud-Africains ont rapidement plié l’affaire grâce à des réalisations de Maku (13e) et Steven Lee Mendes (40e), ce dernier rejoignant le Seychellois Lorenzo Hoareau en tête du classement des buteurs avec trois réalisations à son compteur personnel. Dans l’autre duel de cette poule, l’Eswatini a empoché ses tout premiers points dans la douleur au terme d’un scénario complètement fou face au Lesotho (3-2).
Un doublé crucial de Gama (13e, 90e+2) et un but de Malaza (40e) ont douché les espoirs des Lesothans, qui s’étaient rebellés grâce à Kalache et Tuoane.Le groupe C a quant à lui été marqué par la brillante démonstration de force de la Zambie face aux Comores (3-0). Mununga, Nyirongo et Chinunda ont concrétisé la nette domination collective des Young Chipolopolo, qui s’installent confortablement dans un fauteuil de leader avec un bilan parfait de six points.
Dans le même temps, le Malawi a idéalement rectifié le tir en punissant sévèrement le Botswana sur le même score net (3-0). Les réalisations signées Billiat, Kalambo et Chibalo permettent aux Malawites de s’emparer seuls de la deuxième place.Ce mardi, la compétition bascule vers le dénouement tant attendu du groupe A. À partir de 15h00, le leader namibien, fort de ses deux précieuses victoires initiales, tentera de valider définitivement son billet pour les demi-finales face aux redoutables Seychelles sur la pelouse de l’ABB 1.
En simultané sur le terrain de l’ABB 2, le Mozambique jouera son va-tout face à Maurice. Les Mauriciens, derniers et toujours en quête de leurs premiers points, tenteront de sauver l’honneur en bousculant des Mozambicains largement favoris. Avec 36 buts inscrits en 12 rencontres depuis le coup d’envoi du tournoi, cette nouvelle journée s’annonce décisive pour les jeunes espoirs de la région.
África do Sul e Zâmbia na “pole position”!
A segunda jornada dos Grupos B e C do Torneio COSAFA TotalEnergies CAF Sub-20 confirmou o favoritismo dos dois grandes candidatos ao título. Na Arena Lalgy, a África do Sul venceu a Angola por 2-0, no jogo grande do dia, e a Zâmbia goleou as Comores por 3-0, ambas somando a segunda vitória e assumindo, isoladas, o comando dos respectivos grupos, com seis pontos.
O duelo entre África do Sul, campeã em título, e Angola era o cartaz da ronda – uma espécie de final antecipada entre duas favoritas. Os campeões em título, em busca do 11.º cetro regional, voltaram a entrar melhor. Lazola Mako inaugurou o marcador aos 13 minutos, assistido por Witbooi, num rápido contra-ataque, e Steven Mendes ampliou a vantagem aos 40, com um cabeceamento cirúrgico após livre direto batido pelo mesmo Witbooi. A Angola, longe da exibição convincente da estreia, não conseguiu esboçar reação e viu o resultado manter-se até ao fim. Mako foi eleito o melhor em campo.
No Grupo C, a Zâmbia não precisou de acelerar. A vitória dos “Young Chipolopolo”, recordistas com 12 títulos regionais, foi natural, mas de má memória para as Comores, que terminaram o jogo com apenas nove unidades, depois das expulsões de Ikrame Abdala (45’+4′) e Elyas Rahim (70′). Tumelo Mununga abriu o ativo logo aos cinco minutos, Abel Nyirongo, do Green Eagles, fez o segundo ainda na primeira parte, e Kayula Chinunda fechou as contas aos 62. Mununga foi o melhor jogador da partida.
A outra partida do Grupo C ficou marcada por dois lances insólitos. O Botswana perdeu por 3-0 frente ao Malawi, num jogo em que os dois guarda-redes viram o cartão vermelho: primeiro o botsuano Frank Seleke, por um ato displicente que lhe custou caro, e depois, aos 60 minutos, o malawiano Willard Sande. Os golos do Malawi foram apontados por Billiat (24′), Kalambo (45′) e Grant Chibalo (78′). Com esta derrota, o Botswana ficou arredado da fase seguinte. Já no Grupo B, o Eswatini bateu o Lesotho por 3-2, num jogo de emoções fortes e ponta final dramática. Njabulo Gama, eleito o melhor em campo, foi a figura da partida: adiantou o Eswatini logo aos 13 minutos e, já em tempo de compensação (90’+2′), assinou o golo do triunfo. Malaza (40′) marcou o outro tento suazi, enquanto o Lesotho respondeu por Kalache (30′) e Tuoane (90′), mas acabou por sair de mãos a abanar e muito pressionado nas contas.
As contas ficam mais definidas. No Grupo B, a África do Sul lidera com seis pontos, seguida da Angola e do Eswatíni, ambos com três, ficando o Lesoto sem pontuar e em situação muito complicada. No Grupo C, a Zâmbia comanda com seis pontos, à frente do Malawi (3), enquanto Comores e Botswana somam apenas um. No Grupo A, a Namíbia mantém a liderança, com Moçambique e Seicheles em prova. O regulamento continua implacável: apenas o vencedor de cada grupo e o melhor segundo classificado seguem para as meias-finais.
As atenções viram-se agora para a terceira e última jornada do Grupo A, esta terça-feira, na Arena Lalgy. Às 15h00, no Campo Número 2, a Namíbia defronta as Seicheles, enquanto Moçambique mede forças com a Maurícia, no Campo Número 1, à mesma hora. Os anfitriões são obrigados a vencer, e de preferência a golear, para sonhar com o apuramento como melhor segundo classificado.
