00:30We are now joined by the coach of South Africa, coach Vela Kumala. Coach, a very big tournament as host South Africa. How do you see, first of all, the game against Mozambique, which is on the opening day?
00:42Look, it's very, very big. One must say that. And we don't want to start bad. We want to start winning the first game so that we can be at ease, just so that we can plan thoroughly and properly, considering the fact that we had only two days of preparation.
00:57But if you can get a winner of this, then it will be easy to develop and ultimately become the winner of this tournament since you are the host.
01:05As host, I mean, we haven't won this tournament since 2021. And last year in 2024, we bombed down in the first round. How much pressure is there on South Africa to do well?
01:14Look, I don't know about the pressure, but the fact that we are playing at home, then yes, maybe one will say that. And I think the last time we won it, I was part of the one winning it.
01:25But it's a pleasure on myself, but not on the players. We have a big, good team, talented team. So we think we'll go through and through with this team.
01:33And looking at your opponents in Mozambique, what do you make of them?
01:38We don't know much about them, to be honest with you. We did not have time to, because I think they're having another team somewhere playing against the other team.
01:45So the team that they have here, I think out of them, they have four players that are regular in their national team.
01:52Other than that, that's the only information I have about them. But we know that it's a physical team.
01:58They like to play long balls. But those are the things that we are well aware of, that we alerted the players about it.
02:06And looking at your team, you say you had only two days of training. How difficult was it to pick the starting 11? Based on what?
02:13Look, like I indicated, it's a good team. It's a talented team. We selected a talented team.
02:19However, them going for recess, remember they were going for off-season and calling them in.
02:25Some coming from the holidays and all of that. But these are professionals.
02:28They know what is at stake. They're looking a little bit better. They look sharper. But as I said, with the goal of the tournament, they'll get better.
02:36What for you will be the greatest achievement in this tournament?
02:41No, look, I think most of our players being promoted to the senior senior Bafanabafana, it will be the greatest.
02:47And to top it up, it will be to have the trophy back home here.
02:51A very big match against the whole South Africa. How do you see it?
02:53For us, it's very nice to be a first. I think to play with the South Africa for us is very hard all the time.
03:02The first time we win, we win for South Africa and Kozaf in 2022. We try to be our best.
03:10But for us, this complement is to give more times for the under-23. It's our national team.
03:20This generation don't have too much opportunity to play.
03:23And we want to say thanks also to Kozafa to bring this tournament from here to give the opportunity to these young boys.
03:31Having said that, coach, how important then is the Kozafa Cup? How important is it to win?
03:36For us, it's very important because Mozambique don't have any winners from Kozafa Cup.
03:42All the time we get to try to be our best to win this tournament. And this time we don't be different. We try everything to be the winner from the tournament.
03:55Facing the hosts, South Africa, how much pressure is there on Mozambique, especially in the opening match?
03:59I think we don't have pressure. The pressure is from South Africa playing in the home. For us, it's to enjoy it, it's to be our best, to make everything possible for us.
04:09The pressure is not for us. We don't have the pressure to win. South Africa have seven cups from Kozafa. For us, it's to try to be our best to win this tournament.
04:20That place in 2024, what are you looking at this time around?
04:25I don't understand.
04:25You've finished in that place in 2024. What are you looking at in 2025?
04:29To try to be all the same or try to be the best from 2024.
04:34Oskar?
04:44Oskar?
04:46Oskar?
04:47Oskar?
04:48Oskar?
04:48Oskar?
04:49Jones?
04:49It's getting away from Barnes, that's a good ball!
04:51Chantyan?!
04:52Oh, what a save!
04:53Y'all must be!
04:54One nil it is and deserve it!
04:57One nil here for the pasó!
04:58beacons and it's somebody the creative spark oh but this was a big inside calm
05:07once that the South African defense was assembled and overjoyed now that
05:16was a big officially lead in this match well it's been coming hasn't it we've
05:24I've seen them grow get more and more confidence and on this guy somebody hey
05:34I've seen him increase his influence just by seeing more of the ball here the less
05:41I mean it's of the ball the more he sees it for the Mozambicans and Jose just so
05:47well the captain here he's another that's been so influential both
05:53defensively and offensively the captain's quality is that K because I'm gonna say
06:04from bandra but he was in all sorts of trouble they they were opened up here by
06:10some quality attacking football creatively we were Baptista Sumbani and the men that's
06:15coming off the pitch Jose with their quick movements and I'm so proud from my my
06:21players do this our strategies work very well and we make a good game I think the
06:30South Africa you have more more board than us but it's normal because we know you have
06:36good qualities these I don't come here to play with a our odd board open we close
06:42our house and they will try to have space and go to to to find a finalist the opportunity
06:47we have and we have one and we score one this is good for us when we need to to start to improve
06:55start to work this this is Mozambique this is a our county make all the time fight over time work
07:01we'll be with the courage is this we we try to do until the final from tournament beating South
07:09Africa and getting three points how good is that for Mozambique you know our group is a four teams we
07:16don't play only with the first football it's important to win but we have more two games you
07:21need to work to to this mode two games we have and starting the tournament with three goals with a
07:28win how much of a boost is that going forward you know when we make the preparation from from the
07:37tournament also we score much so we know we we score the more important in this tournament is though
07:44it don't take goals and we prove and we fight for don't take goals and with when you play with big
07:50national big team like a national team you need to have a mentality very very strong mentality because
07:56it's not easy to play with the good players and good quality every sort of the place which a very
08:01disappointing a result for South Africa losing 1-0 to Mozambique what are our impressions of this game
08:07look I think we spoke about this in the interval I think performance-wise we played well we played the
08:14way we wanted to play it's a build-up and what we said we are we said they're going to come at us from
08:21the transition so we must just got against the transition which exact they did exactly that we
08:26were not balanced when they get the ball and honestly speaking when you look at our performance
08:32build up from the bag and all of that it was a good performance not good results not the way we wanted
08:38to start but I can promise you that we are going to do well in this tournament and with the way performance
08:45it is we only need to sharpen up where we need to score goals we did not score goals we created so many
08:50chances that is the positives that one can take from this game to say we put we created too many
08:55chances but we needed to convert those chances and culture how much of a setback is it starting a
09:00tournament of this magnitude with the defeat look it is not a good one we actually wanted to to start
09:06with a win but now we are under pressure we need to win the second gold game and the last game but I'm
09:15hopeful I'm positive I think with the way we are playing the style of play the South African way
09:20of playing football it's really getting better and better but we need to convert our chances which we
09:25created if we did not create the chances then I'll be worried but the fact that we are creating chances we
09:31are getting into their ticking into the box it looks good for me I'm positive your impressions of here
09:37after what happened today now look with VAR it's something new we need to get used to it you have
09:43been seeing it from the TV with under 17 I was exposed to it but with the but for our final now we need
09:49to get used to it but I think we did they did so well we need to get out to understand how it works
10:07what happens next we have the game and I'll let it show you the next one and then we need to get used to it
10:25in the the best way we are not it's about to make sure the game is ready and now I'm ready to come out
