Mdaka: Lessons learned as South Africa bow out in Chile

“It’s a hard pill to swallow,” admitted South Africa U20 coach Raymond Mdaka after his side’s 3-1 defeat to Colombia ended their FIFA U20 World Cup journey in Chile on Wednesday night.

Amajita’s hopes of reaching the quarterfinals were dashed at Estadio Fiscal de Talca, where they were punished for defensive lapses despite showing resilience and courage throughout the contest. 

Colombia took an early lead through Joel Canchimbo after a mix-up at the back, forcing the African champions to chase the game.

South Africa created several chances but couldn’t find the equaliser before halftime. Two minutes into the second half, Siviwe Magidigidi was brought down in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. 

Mfundo Vilakazi’s first effort was saved, but after a retake was ordered, he calmly converted to make it 1-1.

That goal lifted Mdaka’s side, who began to play with more confidence and tempo, but their momentum was short-lived. 

Neiser Villareal restored Colombia’s lead midway through the second half and sealed his brace deep into stoppage time to confirm South Africa’s elimination.

“We get so used to winning and then when you lose it hits deep,” Mdaka said. 

“But other than that, we understand it is the nature of football, more especially in the knockout stages – you play, you don’t win and you’re out. But even before one can talk about the match, I think it’s an experience for the boys, the technical team and everyone who was here at the World Cup.”

The coach admitted that his team struggled early on.

“We were caught in the first few minutes where we could not build up as we are used to. We were caught with the first goal from the blind side, and I think from there we got settled. Then we got a number of chances that we missed, and we had a goal through the penalty.”

“But then we conceded the second goal and the last goal, there is not much to say about it. We said to the boys (keep your) heads up, and we will see what will happen going forward.”

Amajita exit the competition with two wins and two defeats. They lost to France (2-1), beat New Caledonia (5-0) and the USA (2-1), before falling to Colombia. 

Their journey, which began with COSAFA Cup and CAF U20 AFCON triumphs, showcased a promising generation.

Mdaka praised the supporters for their backing: “We really appreciate the support. We would have loved to play in the quarterfinals, but football being football, we could not. It will come, and if we continue working hard with the support, we will represent the country well.”