Softfootball understands that Mohamed Salah’s penalty ended up being all Egypt really needed, as the Pharaohs squeezed past South Africa 1–0 in Agadir to reach the Africa Cup of Nations knockout rounds.
Playing the whole second half with ten men, Egypt were forced to dig in and suffer, but they did enough to end Bafana Bafana’s 9-game unbeaten run.
Egypt celebrated this victory and their qualification for the next round via their official X account.
They posted:
The king always asserts his control. Egypt’s national team qualifies for the round of 16 in the Africa Cup of Nations
Following South Africa’s 2-1 victory against Angola and Egypt’s 2-1 victory against Zimbabwe, both teams, knowing what was at stake, never truly settled early on in the game today. It was tense, cautious, and a bit scrappy, too. Nobody wanted to take risks, especially not in the opening exchanges.
The first real effort didn’t come until after 20 minutes, when Egypt won a free-kick just outside the box. Omar Marmoush hit it cleanly, curling it toward the corner, but it drifted narrowly wide.
South Africa took their time getting into the match. Their first meaningful attempt arrived just before the half-hour mark, with Lyle Foster firing a low shot that lacked power.
That moment came late in the half. Khuliso Mudau mistimed a challenge inside the penalty area, and the referee decided it was a penalty after VAR intervention. Salah, as expected, took charge. He didn’t mess around, smashing it straight down the middle.
But Egypt’s night almost unravelled seconds before the break. Mohamed Hany picked up a second yellow card after a reckless foul, and suddenly the Pharaohs were down to ten men.
South Africa came out stronger after the restart, seeing more of the ball and pushing Egypt deeper and deeper. Still, for all that possession, clear openings were hard to come by.
Egypt defended in numbers, slowed the game whenever they could, and didn’t mind breaking up play. Most of South Africa’s shots came from range, and honestly, none really tested El Shenawy.
The best chance to equalize came late. With about ten minutes to go, Foster played Aubrey Modiba through inside the box. It looked promising, but the finish was weak, and the goalkeeper saved.
That was really the moment. After that, the urgency was there, but the quality wasn’t.
In the end, Egypt held on. It wasn’t comfortable, and it certainly wasn’t smooth, but it got the job done. The win sends them through from Group B, though they still need at least a point in their final game to be sure of top spot.
South Africa, despite the defeat, remains in control of their own fate and will hope to bounce back against Zimbabwe.
