South Africa retained their TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier title with a 2-1 victory over hosts Mozambique in Sunday’s final, completing a perfect tournament with five wins from five matches.
Oarabile Booysen and Steven Mendes scored the goals for Amajita, who successfully defended their regional crown for a second successive year and will head to the continental finals in Ghana next year alongside runners-up Mozambique.
Zambia claimed the bronze medal with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Namibia in the third-place play-off, bringing the competition to a close after 22 matches and 73 goals.
South Africa took the lead in the final through Booysen with a stunning longe-range strike in the 28th minute, but their advantage lasted just two minutes before Martinho Comecar equalised for Mozambique.
The hosts had impressed on their way to the decider, including an emphatic 3-0 semi-final victory over Namibia, and were hoping to complete their campaign by lifting the trophy in front of their home supporters.
However, Mendes struck the decisive blow from the penalty spot in the 58th minute to restore South Africa’s lead and ultimately secure the title.
It was his sixth goal of the competition, earning the Kaizer Chiefs forward the Golden Boot after he had also scored twice from the spot in South Africa’s 4-2 semi-final victory over Zambia.
Mozambique were reduced to 10 men in added time at the end of the game when Milton Macombe was sent off for a stamp on the arm of Mendes when the latter was on the ground.
Amajita finished with 13 goals scored and just three conceded, having opened the tournament with three consecutive clean sheets before overcoming Zambia and Mozambique in the knockout rounds.
Mozambique nevertheless enjoyed a memorable campaign, recovering from a 1-0 group-stage defeat to Namibia to reach the final.
The hosts had edged Angola for the best runner-up spot on Fair Play points after both teams finished the group stage with six points and identical records of nine goals scored and two conceded.
They made the most of that opportunity by avenging their earlier defeat to Namibia in the semi-finals, with Comecar, Diego Pelembe and Hissen Socrate on target in a 3-0 victory.
Mozambique’s Alírio Cuna was named Player of the Tournament after finishing with five goals, one behind Mendes in the scoring charts.
South Africa goalkeeper Takalani Mazhamba received the Golden Glove award, while Namibia collected the Fair Play Award.
In Sunday’s earlier third-place play-off, Zambia bounced back from their semi-final disappointment to defeat Namibia 3-0.
Gift Mumbi opened the scoring in the 42nd minute before Sipho Muntanga doubled the advantage in the 62nd minute.
Muntanga completed his brace in the first minute of stoppage time to seal the bronze medal for the Junior Chipolopolo.
Zambia had won all three of their group matches before losing 4-2 to South Africa in the semi-finals, but ended their campaign with four victories from five games.
Namibia, meanwhile, had been one of the standout teams in the group stage, winning all three matches without conceding a goal. However, they were unable to maintain that form in the knockout rounds, suffering successive 3-0 defeats to Mozambique and Zambia.
South Africa and Mozambique will now turn their attention to the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2027, having secured the two qualification places available to the COSAFA region.
SUNDAY’S RESULTS
Final – ABB Stadium 1
South Africa 2 (Booysen 28’, Mendes 58’ pen) Mozambique 1 (Comecar 30’)
Third-place play-off – ABB Stadium 1
Zambia 3 (Mumbi 42’, Muntanga 62’, 90+1’) Namibia 0
TOURNAMENT AWARDS
Player of the Tournament: Alírio Cuna (Mozambique)
Golden Boot: Steven Mendes (South Africa) – 6 goal
Golden Glove: Takalani Mazhamba (South Africa)
Fair Play Award: Namibia
TOURNAMENT STATS
Matches played: 22
Goals scored: 73
Goals per game: 3.32
Biggest victories: Mozambique 5-0 Mauritius (Group A, September 22); Angola 5-0 Lesotho (Group B, September 23)
Most goals in a game: 7 – Mauritius 3-4 Seychelles (Group A, September 20)
GOALSCORERS
6 goals – Steven Mendes (South Africa)
5– Alírio Cuna (Mozambique)
3 – Lorenzo Hoareau (Seychelles), Luís Panda (Angola)
2 – Oarabile Booysen (South Africa), Martinho Comecar (Mozambique), Billy Daka (Zambia), Romano Domingos (Angola), Njabulo Gama (Eswatini), Quentin Lalsing (Mauritius), Jairo Muanha
(Angola), Sipho Muntanga (Zambia), Rashid Naobeb (Namibia), Lukas Sakeus (Namibia), Daniel Silubonde (Zambia)
1 – Faizal Abdala (Mozambique), Mateus Ashitenda (Namibia), Naythan Barbe (Seychelles), Misheck Billiat (Malawi), Grant Chibalo (Malawi), Kayula Chinunda (Zambia), John Foloko (Zambia), Lekanyane Kalache (Lesotho), Jonathan Kalimina (Zambia), Clever Kalambo (Malawi), António Kulica (Angola), Khensane Machel (Mozambique), Fanuel Macuácua (Mozambique), Lazola Maku (South Africa), Andiswa Malaza (Eswatini), Manelisi Mazibuko (South Africa), Tebogo Mlangeni (South Africa), Ziyad Moussa (Comoros), Duncan Musialela (Zambia), Gift Mumbi (Zambia), Tumalo Mununga (Zambia), Kent Murandu (Botswana), Domingos Muxito (Angola), Milimo Nalumango (South Africa), Abel Nyirongo (Zambia), Diego Pelembe (Mozambique), Eriano Rajabary (Seychelles), Jean Ravina (Mauritius), Rizan Romao (Mozambique), Hissen Socrate (Mozambique), Kabelo Tuoane (Lesotho), Emile Witbooi (South Africa), Austin Yasini (Malawi)
Own goal – Fayyad Issilamou-Hamza (Comoros)