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By Ebenezer Bajela.
South Africa coach Duncan Crowie says he is proud of his players and the fight they showed, despite losing 3-2 to Nigeria in their second Group B match at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, and their chances of progression now hanging in the balance.
The Young Bafana Bafana had to wait for the result between Cameroon and Burkina Faso on Sunday to know their fate as they made it into the last eight as one of the two best third-placed teams.
A win against Nigeria would have automatically seen them qualify while a draw would have enhanced their chances but Crowie’s boys despite taking the lead twice suffered defeat as the two-time champions booked a place in the quarter-finals.
Speaking to CAFOnline on Sunday, the coach said he was proud of his players despite the defeat.
“I told them in the dressing room that we didn’t disgrace ourselves and Nigeria is a very good team. It showed in the field that we gave everything we could and I can only be grateful. Of course, I am not happy with the result, but I am happy with their performance,” Crowie said.
“I looked at the players in the dressing room and they were all disappointed. That is a sign that they care otherwise I would have been worried if they were not disappointed. They can hold their heads high because they gave everything and we tried to play beautiful football.”
“It is what it is. I will be watching of course and hopefully, the result goes our way. It is a difficult and complicated situation but that’s how football is sometimes,” Crowie further pointed out.
The coach also says he is impressed with the development of his players over these last three matches, saying top of all that was the biggest essence of the competition.
He hopes they can use the experience to further grow their careers and be mainstays for the rest of the national teams.