South Africa Under-23 lost last week Sunday 2-0 against Sudan in the first leg qualifier for the 2015 All-Africa Games, which will be held in Brazzaville, Congo, in September.

Two Kaizer Chiefs players participated in that match, defenders Lorenzo Gordinho and Zitha Macheke. They both come from Amakhosi’s youth development structures. Goalkeeper Shandukane Mulobedzi and midfielder Andisiwe Mtsila were also in the national Under-23 squad.

Gordinho, Macheke and Mulobedzi all played some part in Chiefs’ practice match against Highlands Park yesterday, which took place at the Village. The encounter was divided in three sections of each 30 minutes.

AmaGlug-glug will host Sudan for the second leg on Saturday, 11 April, in South Africa.

Looking back on the 2-0 loss at the El Obeid Stadium, Gordinho says: “We dealt well with the different and sometimes challenging circumstances in Sudan. But it didn’t go our way in the game. We were under pressure from the start.”

“It won’t be easy at home. It will be a close and hard-fought encounter. However, I feel that we can still succeed to qualify for the All-Africa Games.”