South Africa thrashed New Caledonia 5-0 this morning to revive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, following a 2-1 defeat to France in their opener. The Amajita now face Group E leaders USA in a decisive clash for qualification on Sunday.
Goals from Siviwe Nkwali, Shakeel April, Lazola Maku, and a brace from Siviwe Magidigidi propelled South Africa to their first victory at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Nigeria also edged Saudi Arabia 3-2 to stay in contention after a 1-0 loss to Norway in their opening match. The Flying Eagles scored through Nasiru Salihu and Amos Ochoche, with a Daniel Bameyi penalty sealing the win after Saudi Arabia had equalized through Amar Al Yuhaybi and Talal Haji. Nigeria will face Colombia in their final group match as they bid for a place in the knockouts.
Egypt, on the other hand, are facing early elimination after losing 2-1 to New Zealand in their opening match. They sit bottom of Group A, behind leaders Japan with six points, and New Zealand and hosts Chile, who both have three points. The Young Pharaohs must defeat Chile tomorrow to avoid an early exit from the tournament.
Morocco have already qualified for the knockout stage after defeating Spain 2-0 and Brazil 2-1. They conclude their group stage matches with a clash against Mexico tomorrow.
