CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Egypt 1 – 0 South Africa FT
Mohamed Salah scored his 13th goal in his last 17 international matches [Getty Images]
Mohamed Salah’s penalty secured a narrow victory for Egypt over South Africa, allowing the seven-time champions to advance to the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a game to spare, despite finishing the match with 10 players.
After Salah converted a controversial penalty in the 45th minute, Egypt faced a challenge when right-back Mohamed Hany was sent off for a second yellow card just before halftime.
South Africa made an attacking substitution by bringing on Sipho Mbule for Thalente Mbatha at the start of the second half. However, they struggled to penetrate the defense and goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, who was alert and able to maintain Egypt’s counter-attacking threat.
El Shenawy made a crucial save late in the game to deny Aubrey Modiba’s close-range effort, set up by Lyle Foster’s nifty backheel, and also managed to handle Siyabonga Ngezana’s header in stoppage time.
In a dramatic moment, South Africa was denied a potential penalty for handball after the 90th minute, with referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
A draw between Angola and Zimbabwe earlier today confirmed Egypt’s place in the last 16, while South Africa remains two points clear of the two underdog teams in Group B.
Both teams will play their final group-stage matches on Monday at 16:00 GMT; South Africa will face Zimbabwe in Marrakesh, while Egypt takes on Angola in Agadir.
Egypt Holds On – Just
The decision to award the penalty was contentious, as Salah went down after minimal contact with Khuliso Mudau. Referee Ndabihawenimana reviewed the incident via VAR and awarded the spot kick due to a flailing arm from Mudau, who was visibly upset by the call.
After Salah executed a panenka finish for his second goal of the tournament, he closed in on the all-time Egyptian goal record held by head coach Hossam Hassan. Meanwhile, Hany’s two bookings were costly, as they came from seemingly careless fouls on Tshepang Moremi and Teboho Mokoena.
Moremi’s introduction at halftime had previously sparked improvement in South Africa, as he displayed skill and created scoring opportunities against Angola. However, despite his efforts, he couldn’t make a significant impact this time around. Egypt’s Omar Marmoush also had a chance, but his free-kick went wide.
With the game shifting after Salah’s goal and Hany’s dismissal, nerves grew for Egypt as they made defensive substitutions to protect their lead. South Africa faced frustration when the referee initially called an outside free-kick for a handball by Yasser Ibrahim only to later review the decision and determine the contact occurred just inside the box, albeit with no penalty given due to the position of Ibrahim’s arm.
In the closing moments, South African players expressed their frustration as opportunities went awry; Ngezana missed a clear header from a corner, and both Evidence Makgopa and Modiba sent shots off-target. The outcome solidified Egypt’s status as favorites for topping Group B, whereas South Africa must secure a result against Zimbabwe to advance.