AGADIR, Morocco — Bafana Bafana missed the chance to delight supporters with a Boxing Day victory after suffering a narrow 1–0 defeat to Egypt in their second Group B match at Stade Adrar on Thursday.
Mohamed Salah’s penalty on the stroke of half-time proved decisive, sealing Egypt’s place in the knockout stage with a game to spare ahead of their final group fixture against Angola on Monday. South Africa, meanwhile, must now beat Zimbabwe in their last group match to secure automatic qualification for the round of 16.
Despite the loss, Hugo Broos’ side delivered an encouraging performance, particularly in the second half, and will take confidence into their decisive encounter with Zimbabwe. Bafana controlled large spells of possession and showed defensive discipline, with Mbekezeli Mbokazi notably dispossessing Salah during open play.
South Africa entered the match hoping to build on their famous 1–0 victory over Egypt in the 2019 AFCON knockout stages, and they will feel unfortunate to leave empty-handed. Their frustration was compounded in stoppage time when referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana, after consulting VAR and reviewing the pitchside monitor, ruled out a potential penalty after the ball struck Yasser’s arm inside the box. The decision was consistent with the laws of the game, as the arm was deemed to be in a natural position.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan, however, will be pleased to have extended his strong record against South Africa. Hassan was part of the Egyptian team that defeated Bafana in the 1998 AFCON final, and once again saw his side edge past their southern rivals.
With many South Africans winding down their Christmas celebrations, hopes were high that Bafana could clinch early qualification. Instead, they went into the interval trailing after Khuliso Mudau was penalised for poking Salah in the eye while attempting to clear the ball inside the area. Following VAR intervention, Ndabihawenimana awarded the penalty, which Salah converted calmly.
Broos named a largely unchanged side from the opening match against Angola, making only two changes as Thalente Mbatha and Tshepang Moremi replaced Sipho Mbule and Mohau Nkota. While Bafana dominated possession in the first half, they struggled to break down Egypt’s defence, although they did succeed in preventing the Pharaohs from scoring early — a recurring feature of past AFCON meetings between the two sides.
Egypt maintained their attacking threat through Salah, Omar Marmoush and Trezeguet, but were largely kept in check by a solid South African backline. Mudau was particularly effective, limiting Marmoush to a single set-piece effort that drifted narrowly wide.
The match took another turn late in stoppage time when Egypt’s Mohamed Hany was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Teboho Mokoena. Despite being reduced to ten men, Egypt held firm.
Broos introduced Mbule at half-time in a bid to add creativity, and the change injected urgency into Bafana’s play. South Africa pushed hard for an equaliser, but lacked the cutting edge in the final third, with Lyle Foster and his teammates unable to convert sustained pressure into goals.
Egypt almost doubled their lead when a short corner found Salah, whose low drive was superbly cleared off the line by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. At the other end, Mudau came close to redemption with a driven cross that forced a save from Mohamed El Shenawy, who later denied Aubrey Modiba from close range.
In the end, Bafana were left to rue missed opportunities and a late penalty appeal, as Egypt claimed the points. South Africa now face a must-win clash against Zimbabwe on Monday to keep their knockout-stage hopes firmly in their own hands.
