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Scoring problems worry Shakes

Dobsonville - Despite his side’s 1-0 victory over Ethiopia on Sunday, national under-20 coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba was left disappointed.

Mashaba felt his men should have won the game by a bigger margin following plenty of missed opportunities at Dobsonville Stadium.

Amajita defeated the Ethiopians to progress to the next stage of the 2015 African Youth Championships (AYC) to be staged in Senegal.

The South Africans walked away 3-0 victors, on aggregate, after defeating Ethiopia 2-0 in Addis Ababa two weeks ago.

Addressing reporters in a post-match press conference on Sunday, the 63-year-old tactician hailed his charges for their performance but still pointed out that they could have done a lot better in front of goal.

“I think we played very well,” said Mashaba.

“The only thing again is a question of not finishing our chances.

“The same thing happened in Ethiopia, we should have scored five goals in the first half.

“Even today, we failed to convert four clear chances.

“That’s dangerous because it breaks our momentum.

“All in all we played very well.”

Victory for Amajita meant that they are two matches away from qualifying for the continental showpiece event.

They will now face Cameroon in their next assignment in another two-legged encounter, starting away from home which serves as a positive factor for Mashaba and his charges.

“It won’t be easier in Cameroon.

“Those countries dominate the African Championships.

“This is the time we need to go back home, sit down and plan properly.

“Fortunately for us is that we are playing the first leg away.

“We just have to win away from home without conceding and we must also make sure that we don’t concede at home,” added Mashaba.

The first leg against the young Indomitable Lions will be played on the weekend of August 15-17 with the second leg scheduled for the weekend of August 29-31.

The winner will claim a golden ticket to the eight-day tournament, which will be held from March 8-15 next year.
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