A thrilling opening day of the 2023 CAF African Schools Football Championship / Cosafa Qualifiers in Harare saw youngsters from around the region showcase their quality in a festival atmosphere yesterday.
There were some big wins, but also tight contents as teams found their feet at the Gateway High School, with another 20 pool games to be staged today, ahead of tomorrow’s finals in the boys’ and girls’ competitions.
In the boys competition, Zimbabwe and Malawi head Group A with six points though the hosts have played a game more and it is the pupils from the latter who hold the upper hand.
That comes after Malawi thumped Zimbabwe 4-0 in their opener, though the home side, roared on by an enthusiastic local crowd, recovered to record wins over Botswana (4-1) and Eswatini (3-1).
Malawi, with several players who competed last year for Salima Secondary School, were impressive as they also recorded a 3-0 win over Mozambique.
It will be all to play for on day two, with Mozambique also having defeated Eswatini 2-1.
South Africa secured six points from their two games in Group B, though three of those were awarded after Zambia did not appear for their match with the team having not arrived in Harare by kick-off.
In the game they did play, they defeated Angola 7-0 as Rhys Ferguson scored a hattrick in an impressive display from a side dominated by players from the Ubuntu Football Academy School in Cape Town.
Namibia also have six points after they claimed an impressive victory over Madagascar (2-0) and also got a walkover result against Zambia.
Botswana top Group A in the girls’ competition after a pair of wins on the opening day over Eswatini (5-1) and Zimbabwe (1-0).
Malawi have four points after they beat Zimbabwe 3-0 and drew with Mozambique (0-0) in what is shaping up to be a competitive pool. But the hosts have work to do on the second day to get back in contention for top spot.
South Africa have the lead in Group B so far after a 14-0 victory over Angola to give them the advantage at the top of the pool, having also profited from a walkover result against Zambia.
Namibia are second in the pool with four points having drawn 0-0 with Madagascar and a walkover win against Zambia.
The matches continue today with 20 more games to complete the pool stages. The top team in each of the groups will advance to today’s final, with the runners-up to square-off in the bronze-medal game.
The boys’ competition is played on full size pitches with 11-a-side, while the girls’ tournament is played on half-sized pitches and is eight-a-side. In both competitions it will be 20 minutes per half, with a 10-minute halftime break
The tournament is being streamed live on Fifa+ (boys & girls), CAF TV and the Cosafa YouTube Channel. – cosafa.com
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