Zambia book semifinal place as SA take control

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 u20 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.

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

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