In their opening match of the BRICS U17 Football Cup, the Amajimbos of South Africa soared high to defy all odds and win their match over opponents, India.
The Amajimbos arrived the night just before their match and did not have enough time to acclimatize before going into the game against India on Friday, 7 October at the Bambolin stadium in Goa, India.
For India, it was their second game after having lost to Russia by a lone goal when the competition first started on Wednesday, 5th October. In order to let the South African team rest a while after arrival, the clash that had been initially scheduled to be held in the afternoon, was later moved to 17H30 SA time.
The South African U17 men did not show off much fatigue despite their initial setback but held off their Indian counterpart as much as possible. The Indian team, on the other hand were desperate for a victory and pressed on further but could not find the net.
In the 22nd minute into the game, Ndamulelo Radzilani made it count for South Africa when he headed in a cross sent in from the left, thus giving his team the lead.
India continued to launch further attacks but the Amajimbos defense was too strong for them, thus leaving the score line at a goal for South Africa until the end of the first half.
When the game restarted in the second half, the two teams pushed further, with India trying to equalize and possibly score a second, while South Africa looked forward to a goal in order to consolidate their 1-0 lead.
Till the end of the game, both keepers stayed busy moving from end to end. Despite all, the score line remained same, a win for South Africa and a loss for India. So far, India has had two losses, which means they would have to perform better in their remaining matches if they plan on coming far in the competition.