Amajimbos edge Egypt in thriller; Morocco, Zambia cruise to victory

04/01/2025 05:00 AM

South Africa got off to a positive start in their U-17 Africa Cup of Nations campaign when they grabbed a 4-3 victory over Egypt at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium on Monday evening.

Emile Witbooi scored the winning goal for Amajimbos in the 71st minute as it was a closely contested match from start to finish in Group B.

Morocco were dominant in their Group A opener on Monday, defeating Uganda 5-0 at the El Bachir Stadium. Rising star Ilies Belmokhtar grabbed the Man of the Match award in the clash, as he scored a brace.

“The most important thing is the three points. Without the win, I wouldn't be here,” Belmokhtar said after receiving his individual accolade.

“We noticed our opponents weren't pressing us, so we just played our game and applied what we've worked on in training,” Belmokhtar added.

“We've shown what we can do, but we won't rest on our laurels. We know what we're worth and what we want.”

Zambia also put up an impressive display as they beat Tanzania 4-1, collecting three points to be level on points with the young Atlas Lions. Tanzania will need to regroup quickly as they prepare to face Uganda on Thursday.

Burkina Faso were victorious in their Group B encounter against Cameroon earlier in the day, with Asharaf Tabsoba's brace taking centre stage as he continued his stunning form.

The prolific forward calmed any early nerves for the 2011 champions, opening the scoring with a 19th minute strike. Since South Africa also won their opening fixture, they are level on points.

U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Results

Monday 31 March 2025

Morocco 5-0 Uganda
Tanzania 1-4 Zambia
Burkina Faso 2-1 Cameroon
South Africa 4-3 Egypt