After a tough loss in their opener against France, the Amajita bounced back in style, with Siviwe Magidigidi shining by scoring twice and winning a penalty.

The breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Siviwe Nkwali headed in a powerful effort from a corner kick. Just nine minutes later, Magidigidi was taken down in the box, setting up Shakeel April to calmly convert the resulting penalty and double South Africa’s lead.

Right before halftime, Magidigidi added to his impressive performance with a precise finish from the edge of the area, giving Raymond Mdaka’s side a commanding 3-0 lead at the break.

Seven minutes into the second half, Magidigidi found the net again, this time finishing from close range for his brace and effectively putting the game out of reach. Substitute Lazola Maku then capped off the rout with a beautifully executed strike from distance ten minutes before the final whistle.

Coach Raymond Mdaka welcomed the resounding victory but acknowledged that his team could have been even more ruthless in front of goal. “It was a challenging game as we absolutely needed to win and score goals,” Mdaka said.

“We feel we should have netted even more since we were wasteful with the chances created. While we played well defensively, we were a bit sluggish up front. We need to sharpen our tactical and positional discipline, and honestly, we could have scored nine or ten goals.”

This resounding win puts South Africa firmly back in the mix in Group E, where they are set to face the United States on Sunday in a crucial decider for a spot in the knockout stages.