South Africa defeated COSAFA rivals Zambia 3-2 in a five-goal thriller on Wednesday in Constantine, reviving their chances of advancing to the round of eight of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The winning goal came from Holland-based forward Michael Dokunmu with 14 minutes remaining.
Emmanuel Mwanza scored twice as Zambia battled back from a 2-0 deficit to draw the game at 2-2, but South Africa prevailed in a dramatic match to claim their first victory in Group B.
With three points now, South Africa is well-positioned to compete for one of the two open automatic qualification spots. In their final game of the group, they will play Nigeria, who are likewise on three points.
To at least have a chance of making it as one of the two best third-place teams, Zambia will play already qualified Morocco in the meantime.
Vicky Mkhawana’s two goals gave South Africa, who lost their opener match to Morocco, a 2-0 lead after 31 minutes.
After 12 minutes, he scored the game’s first goal with a spectacular volley after turning quickly from almost 35 yards away.
He increased the score to 2-0 in the 31st minute by running on to Siyabonga Mabena’s looping pass and slipping the ball past the goalkeeper.
Two minutes later, Obvious Mwaliteta nearly gave Zambia a response, but his header from a Mwanza freekick hit the underside of the bar instead.
After 40 minutes, Zambia coach Ian Bakala made a change, replacing Mwalileta and Charles Kampamba with Linecker Mbesuma and Samson Malaya as his team struggled to gain a foothold in the game.
At the stroke of the half, Zambia, which had improved its midfield balance, halved the score when Mwanza snuck behind a South African defender to collect the ball off a long delivery into the box and volley past the goalkeeper.
Three minutes into the second half, Mwanza tied the score with a spectacular curling attempt from the edge of the box, continuing the Zambians’ strong start from the first 45 minutes.
Marcel Zimba twice came near, but his attempts went wide as Zambia gained control of the game and had more chances.
Another clipped ball from Mabena found Mkhawana’s run at the other end, and he almost missed completing a hat trick.
Six minutes later, Dokonmu scored the winning goal from inside the area, wiping out his blushes. Zambia was devastated by the third goal and was unable to create a comeback.