Amajita and Stellenbosch FC defender Tylon Smith has spoken about his objectives for the CAF 2025 AFCON Under-20 tournament, set to be staged in Egypt.
The AFCON U-20 tournament will begin on Sunday, April 27, and conclude on Sunday, May 18, 2025. The SA U-20 are placed in Group A with the host nation Egypt, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Tanzania.
Amajita are scheduled to lock horns with Egypt, on April 27 at Cairo International Stadium. The game will kick-off at 20:00 [SA time].
The 19-year-old Smith was part of the SA U-20 squad that won the COSAFA U-20 Championships. Amajita defeated the neighbours, Zambia, 2-0 in October last year in the final.
In addition, Smith’s remarkable performances for Stellenbosch FC’s DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] team and Amajita led to a Bafana Bafana selection. He made his debut against Egypt in the first-leg of the CHAN qualifiers a month ago. The match ended in a 1-1 draw held at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
WHAT TYLON SMITH SAID AHEAD OF THE AFCON U-20 TOURNAMENT
The centre-back stated that he will maintain his usual style of play and refrain from attempting anything unusual to impress and be a “hero”, given that he is playing alongside talented players.
“Personally, I just have to play my normal game and focus on the basics,” said Smith after being asked if he targets to win the Defender of the Tournament award at the junior AFCON.
“I don’t have to be a hero, you know. This is because I will be playing with a lot of talented players on my team. So, I just have to give the ball to them and defend well without conceding goals.”
He went on to reveal what was crucial in Amajita’s play that prevented them from conceding goals during last year’s COSAFA U-20 Championships.
“The key part was the preparation in training, sticking to the basics, and listening to the coach’s instructions. I think we can do it in the AFCON as well,” he added.
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