Amajita and Kaizer Chiefs striker Itumeleng Shopane says his side feel gutted after they were eliminated from the U20 African Youth Championship on Wednesday.

The South African national U20 side were recently eliminated from the U20 Afcon after they were defeated 1-0 by Zambia in the semi-final fixture at the Heroes National Stadium in Lusaka.

The 19-year-old says he feels disappointed that Amajita missed out on the chance to reach the Youth Championship finals.

‘We feel gutted, we really sensed that could have won the match and gone all the way to win the championship,’ Shopane told the Kaizer Chiefs website.

‘We were so close and gave it away in the late stages of the match, where we needed to concentrate. We played so well as a team and followed the coach’s instruction. We are just disappointed to miss out on the final.’

Unfortunately, the loss to the Zambians at this stage has brought, what has otherwise been a successful campaign, to an abrupt end, leaving Amajita with only the third place play-off to play.

Amakhosi’s reserve team striker stresses the importance of winning the last game and finishing the tournament on a high, and also ready themselves for the World Cup that will be played in South Korea in a few months’ time.

Shopane will be hoping his side can finish the tournament on a high in order to get them ready for the World Cup in South Korea.

‘We have to go out there and play like it’s a final. We have worked really hard to be at this stage and we need to finish the job,’ he added.

‘The game will help us to see how ready we are for the World Cup. For us, as a team it’s important that we finish strong.’

Image: Kaizer Chiefs website