South Africa stuns Morocco to reach AFCON quarter-finals
In a surprising turn of events, South Africa secured a spot in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinals by defeating ten-man Morocco 2-0 at the Round of 16 stage in San Pedro.
Despite Morocco’s dominance in possession and numerous goal-scoring opportunities, South Africa emerged victorious with second-half goals from Evidence Makgopa and Teboho Mokoena. The Atlas Lions faced setbacks as Achraf Hakimi missed a late penalty, and Sofyan Amrabat received a red card, reducing them to ten men.
South Africa’s opening goal came through a counter-attack, with Makgopa avoiding an offside trap and finishing adeptly into the bottom corner. Despite a VAR review, the goal stood. Morocco had a chance to level the score when Mothobi Mvala’s unintentional handball led to a penalty, but Hakimi hit the bar.
The situation worsened for Morocco when Amrabat was sent off for a foul on Mokoena as the last man, following a VAR review. Mokoena capitalized on the opportunity, sealing the victory for South Africa with a brilliant free-kick.
South Africa’s triumph sets up a quarterfinal clash against Cape Verde, while Morocco laments a missed opportunity to contend for the AFCON title.
In another match on the same day, Mali secured their place in the last eight by defeating Burkina Faso 2-1. Mali will face tournament hosts Ivory Coast in the quarterfinals.
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