South Africa‘s Bafana Bafana beat tournament favourites and semi-finalist of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Morocco 2-0 to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). They will play Cape Verde on Saturday.
Evidence Makgopa produced a neat finish to score the opener in the 57th minute, surviving a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check for offside and putting Bafana Bafana on their way to a surprise victory over the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists.
Hakimi was afforded a golden opportunity to level when Mothobi Mvala was adjudged to have handled Ayoub El Kaabi’s shot in the box, only to fire his 85th-minute spot-kick against the crossbar.
Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat was dismissed at stoppage time before Teboho Mokoena curled a classy free-kick past Bono to confirm the upset in style.
Morocco, World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, add to an ever-growing list of the continent’s biggest names to have been knocked out of this Cup of Nations, 24 hours after champions Senegal were eliminated on penalties by hosts Ivory Coast.
Africa’s top-ranked side were hoping to follow up their remarkable run to the last four in Qatar just over a year ago by winning their second AFCON title, 48 years after their first.
Instead, they go the same way as Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt, being knocked out, meaning none of the five top-ranked African nations will be present in the quarter-finals, as well as none of the four semi-finalists from the last edition.
A South African side featuring eight players from the country’s leading club Mamelodi Sundowns in their starting line-up took the lead in the 57th minute.
Bafana Bafana, 1996 champions. will take on the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals.
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