The South African U20 side has reached the Africa Cup of Nations final for the first time in 28 years.

Led by Raymond Mdaka, Amajita saw off rivals Nigeria 1-0 in their semi-final clash on Thursday at the ongoing tournament in Egypt.

Tylon Smith’s 66th-minute header was the difference on the day.

Now the stage is set for the final at the Cairo International Stadium on Sunday (8 PM SA time), and Morocco will be the opposition.

Ironically, Amajita lost the final in 1997 to hosts Morocco when the tournament was called the U20 African Youth Championships.

At the time, SA’s U20s were guided by Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba, and that group boasted stars such as Benni McCarthy, who went on to become Bafana Bafana’s top scorer of all time with 31 goals in 80 appearances.

The current crop of players includes Thabang Mahlangu (SuperSport United), Tylon Smith (Stellenbosch FC), Kutlwano Letlhaku (Mamelodi Sundowns), skipper Lazola Maku (SuperSport United), and Jody Ah Shene (Cape Town City), just to mention a few.

To reach the final this time, Morocco beat hosts Egypt 1-0 in what was also a close contest.

South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria and Egypt have all qualified for the FIFA U20 World Cup by virtue of reaching the semi-finals.

The South American country Chile will host the global showpiece from 27 September to 19 October this year.