Egypt’s Mohamed Salah penalty kick was the deciding factor in their Africa Cup of Nations win against Bafana Bafana. Bafana Bafana failed to give their supporters a post-Christmas present after losing 1-0 to Egypt in their second group-stage clash at Stade Adrar in Agadir on Boxing Day. With this result, Egypt qualified for the knockout stage with a game to spare in Group B ahead of their final group match against Angola on Monday, while Bafana will need to beat Zimbabwe on the same day to automatically secure a place in the last 16.
Bafana will be confident of beating Zimbabwe, having given a good account of themselves here, especially in the second half, with Mbekezeli Mbokazi notably pickpocketing Mohamed Salah. Hugo Broos’ men, who came into the match eager to build on their 1-0 win over Egypt in the AFCON knockout stage in 2019, will feel hard done by the result. Referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana, following consultation with the VAR team and the pitchside monitor, ruled out a potential late penalty for Bafana after the ball struck the arm of a falling Yasser inside the box in stoppage time — a rightful call according to the rules, as Yasser’s arm was in a natural body position.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan will be delighted with the win, as his rich vein of form against Bafana continued. He was part of the Egyptian side that dethroned South Africa as AFCON champions in the 1998 final. With South Africans winding down their Christmas celebrations on Boxing Day, the football fraternity had hoped to cap the day with a victory over Egypt that would have secured knockout-stage qualification with a game to spare.
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But that was not to be, as they lost here. Bafana went into the break trailing after Mohamed Salah scored from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time — a deficit that required Broos to commit more numbers in the final third. Unlike most fans back home nursing a “babalaz”, Bafana looked strong both on paper and on the pitch as Broos kept nine of the players who started against Angola, dropping Sipho Mbule and Mohau Nkota for Thalente Mbatha and Tshepang Moremi.
Having adopted a slightly defensive approach, Bafana dominated possession but lacked penetration. While it brought little immediate reward, it did end the Pharaohs’ habit of scoring early against South Africa at AFCON — Egypt had scored in the seventh minute of their 1996 group-stage meeting, and in the fourth and 13th minutes of the 1998 final. Egypt, meanwhile, stuck to their attacking approach, with Salah, Omar Marmoush and Trezeguet leading the line. The trio — often the gift that keeps giving for their teams — were largely kept quiet by a rock-solid Bafana defence.
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