Egypt Secures Knockout Stage Spot with Victory Over South Africa
Mohamed Salah's penalty secured a crucial victory for Egypt against South Africa, allowing the seven-time champions to advance to the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) with a match to spare.
Egypt took the lead with Salah's controversial penalty in the 45th minute. However, they soon faced a challenge when right-back Mohamed Hany received a second yellow card during added time at the end of the first half, leaving the team with 10 men.
In response, South Africa made an attacking substitution at halftime, bringing on Sipho Mbule for Thalente Mbatha. Despite this change, they struggled to breach the defenses of goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, who managed to maintain a counter-attacking threat for Egypt.
El Shenawy played a crucial role in the latter stages of the match, making a vital save against Aubrey Modiba's close-range shot, which had been set up by Burnley forward Lyle Foster's clever backheel. He also dealt effectively with Siyabonga Ngezana's weak header deep into stoppage time.
South Africa was denied a potential penalty for handball after the 90-minute mark, as the referee reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Earlier on Thursday, Angola's draw with Zimbabwe guaranteed Egypt a place in the last 16, while Hugo Broos' South Africa remains two points ahead of the two underdogs in Group B.
The teams will conclude their group-stage matches on Monday at 16:00 GMT, with South Africa facing Zimbabwe in Marrakesh and Egypt meeting Angola in Agadir.