A moment of high drama and heavy debate defined the Boxing Day showdown in Agadir as a contentious Mohamed Salah goal condemned Bafana Bafana to a 1-0 defeat against 10-man Egypt.
Bafana locked horns with Egypt with their tails high after defeating Angola 2-1 in their opening match of Group B at the 2025 AFCON on Monday. South Africa collected maximum points courtesy of crucial goals from Orlando Pirates star Oswin Appollis and Lyle Foster of Burnley FC.
The 1996 AFCON winners faced the North African giants, aiming to secure three points and improve their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.
In a match against Egypt, Bafana coach Hugo Broos made two changes to the starting line-up from the previous game against Angola, bringing in Tshepang Moremi and Thalente Mbatha in place of Mohau Nkota and Sipho Mbule.
The match began on a high note with both sides searching for an early goal. Egypt came close to finding the back of the net after Omar Marmoush’s free kick went inches away from goal in the 20th minute.
MOHAMED SALAH GIVES EGYPT THREE POINTS AGAINST BAFANA BAFANA
In the closing minutes of the first half, the encounter turned into a tight affair, with both teams struggling to create goal-scoring opportunities.
But with the clash seemingly heading to a stalemate at halftime, Video Assistant Referee [VAR] took centre stage after controversially ruling that Khuliso Mudau fouled Mohamed Salah, resulting in a penalty for Egypt.
Salah stepped up to take the penalty and converted in the 45th minute to give the Pharaohs a 1-0 lead at the half-time break. In the second stanza, Bafana started to impose themselves after dominating the ball possession as they went in search of the equalising goal.
Despite Bafana’s efforts to fight for at least a point, Egypt held on to their lead to collect maximum points thanks to a goal from Salah from the penalty spot. In the closing minutes of the match, Bafana had a penalty appeal after an Egyptian defender appeared to handle the ball in the box; however, VAR ruled the penalty out.
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