South Africa staged a dramatic second-half comeback to beat Zambia 4-2 in the COSAFA U20 Championship semi-final on Friday, securing their place in Sunday’s final and keeping their hopes of qualifying for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations alive.
Zambia took the lead in the 29th minute when Duncan Musialela reacted quickest to Allan Mumba’s long throw, poking the ball home after South Africa failed to clear.
Amajita responded after the break, with Steven Mendes converting a penalty in the 62nd minute before Oarabile Booysen completed the turnaround two minutes later.
The Junior Chipolopolo levelled in the 76th minute through Jonathan Kalimina, who rose highest to head home.
However, the decisive moment came in the 84th minute when Kalimina was sent off for handling a goal-bound effort inside the box. Mendes converted the resulting penalty a minute later to restore South Africa’s lead and score his fifth goal of the tournament.
Substitute Emile Witbooi then sealed the victory deep into stoppage time with a superb solo run from inside his own half before calmly finishing to make it 4-2.
The defending champions will now contest Sunday’s final, while Zambia’s defeat ends their hopes of qualifying for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2027 through the COSAFA route.