Crowie wants Amajimbos to raise the level against tough Senegal side

South Africa’s head coach Duncan Crowie wants his side to raise their levels when they face off with Senegal in an expectedly tough quarter final match at the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers on Wednesday.

South Africa and Senegal had contrasting paths to the last eight. While Senegal progressed with a 100percent record winning all their matches, the Amajimbos squeezed in as one of the two best third placed teams, having won one match in the group phase, a 3-2 victory over COSAFA rivals Zambia.

They lost to Morocco and Nigeria.

“We know that our match against Senegal will be difficult because they have a very good team with very skilled players and huge fighting spirit. We have the group stage behind us and now we must raise our level for this match. It will not be easy,” the tactician stated.

He says the team is motivated by the allure of clinching a World Cup ticket and has urged them to be mentally strong to battle for a historic result.

“Reaching the World Cup will be a huge milestone for these players and it is a motivation for us going into the match,” he added.

Meanwhile, Crowie says playing in Algiers, at a stadium that bears the name of a great African leader and a hero of South African history, Nelson Mandela, will offer them an added motivation to make more history.

At the same time, forward Michael Dokonmu, who plays his club football in the Netherlands with Vitesse admits as much that they will face a huge task against Senegal.

“We have seen how they have played in their previous matches. They have very good technical players who are also highly skilled. Their attack is also really good and so it will be tough for us. We are however remaining focused on our processes and we will go into the match to play and win,” he added.

Dokonmu added that their focus is razor sharp and they will put in a good shift, leaving everything on the pitch in search of victory.