South African U17s bullish ahead of FIFA World Cup opener

Amajimbos coach Molefi Ntseki said the team has made great progress ahead of their U-17 World Cup opener with Costa Rica in Chile on Monday.

Ntseki's charges completed their preparations for the event with a 1-0 victory over New Zealand in Santiago yesterday.

@Amajimbosu17 Road to Chile 2015 Media Guide @madamenamhla@DChimhavi@morakem100http://t.co/RVWDpxStQVpic.twitter.com/1KjML00xzr

— SAFA.net (@SAFA_net) October 13, 2015

"There is a lot of progress in terms of tactical periodization going into the World Cup," Ntseki said.

"We needed this type of a match to test our strength. Today’s match was very physical but the boys managed to cope.

"There are areas that still need to be addressed ahead of our first match against Costa Rica; such the protecting a lead, which we managed to do.

"We also need the boys to focus during critical phases of the match."

Amajimbos will also face Korea DPR (October 22) and Russia (October 25) in Group E of the FIFA showpiece.