South Africa edged Morocco 1-0 on Sunday to win a historic under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title at the Cairo International Stadium in Egypt.
A second-half strike from Gomolemo Kekana was enough to hand the Amajita their maiden title as they got revenge for a 1-0 loss to the same opponent 28 years ago.
Kekana latched onto a ball from goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe before unleashing a brilliant right-footed strike from just outside the box to the top corner of the Moroccan goal in the 70th minute.
The Amajita held on for the win despite Morocco’s pressure late in the game as Lowe, who had the most saves (24) in the tournament, was named Man of the Match and also claimed the Best Goalkeeper award.
South Africa, who secured their first win against North African opposition in tournament history, became the 12th different country to win the U20 AFCON title.
Tylon Smith, meanwhile, won the Man of the Competition award, having helped marshal South Africa’s defence to four clean sheets in seven matches in the tournament.
Morocco, on the other hand, were unbeaten in the tournament entering the final and missed an opportunity to win a second title and their first since 1997. The Young Atlas Lions, however, won the Fair Play award.
