Amajimbos crashed out of the 2025 Under-17 FIFA World Cup after suffering a heartbreaking 3-0 defeat against Japan at the Aspire Pitch 3 in Doha, on Saturday afternoon.
The SA U-17 conceded all three goals in the second half, bringing their run in the World Cup to an end. South Africa clashed with Japan in the Last 32, aiming to reach the next round of the prestigious global tournament.
Amajimbos were looking to join their African counterparts, Morocco and Mali, in the Round of 16. The two nations booked spots in the Last 16 after defeating the USA and Zambia, respectively.
The Vela Khumalo-coached team booked a place in the knockout stages of the competition after finishing second in Group A with four points in three matches. Amajimbos were in the same group as the host country Qatar, Italy, and Bolivia. The SA junior team was participating in the World Cup for the second time, having made their debut back in 2015.
In the group stages, Amajimbos produced spirited performances after beating Bolivia 3-1, drawing 1-1 against Qatar, and suffering a 3-1 defeat against Italy.
Heading into the clash against Japan, the Southern Hemisphere side had a clean bill of health after head coach Vela Khumalo confirmed they had no injuries.
AMAJIMBOS AND JAPAN WENT INTO THE BREAK LEVEL AT 0-0
In the match against Japan, South Africa had a slow start, adopting a conservative approach as they absorbed the pressure. Japan came close to opening the scoring in the 36th minute after their shot went off the crossbar.
A few minutes later, the East Asian outfit hit the goal post again as they intensified their search for the first goal of the match; however, the encounter went into the half-time break goalless.
In the opening minutes of the second stanza, South Africa conceded a goal after Japan broke the deadlock in the 46th minute. Japan doubled the lead to take the scoreline to 2-0, thanks to a goal from Minato Yoshida.
Japan continued to dominate the match after netting the third goal in the 71st minute and held on to eliminate Amajimbos from the World Cup with a 3-0 victory.
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