Lyle Foster’s match-winning 79th-minute strike allowed South Africa to win first opening match at AFCON since 2004.
Printed On 22 Dec 2025
Lyle Foster scored an outstanding winner from outdoors the field as South Africa defeated Angola 2-1 in Africa Cup of Nations Group B in Marrakesh on Monday, the primary time they’ve gained their opening match on the continental finals in 21 years.
South Africa additionally had a objective disallowed and struck the crossbar, nearly deserving the nervy victory. Angola additionally had probabilities and can be upset to not have gotten one thing from the sport.
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South Africa took the lead on 21 minutes when Oswin Appollis confirmed neat footwork within the field to work a taking pictures likelihood and put the ball within the backside nook. However Angola equalised earlier than the break as Present received a contact to Fredy’s free kick to steer the ball into the web.
The profitable second got here after 79 minutes, when Foster was teed up 20 yards out and curled his shot into the highest nook to provide the bronze medallists from two years in the past a constructive begin to their marketing campaign.
It was a workmanlike efficiency from South Africa, who should not have the plethora of gamers in prime European leagues that their event rivals get pleasure from, with Foster their just one at Premier League Burnley.
However they’re a well-oiled machine underneath Belgian coach Hugo Broos and did sufficient for a victory that set them properly on track for the knockout rounds. Egypt and Zimbabwe will meet afterward Monday in the identical pool.
Even first half
South Africa took the lead after a interval of sustained possession that led to Khuliso Mudau’s cross, which was touched by each Sipho Mbule and Foster earlier than Appollis beat two defenders and side-footed into the underside nook of the web.
Angola equalised on 35 minutes when Fredy’s low free kick was touched into the underside nook by Present, his second objective in his fiftieth cap for his nation, to make it 1-1 on the break.
South Africa thought that they had retaken the lead when halftime substitute Tshepang Moremi turned his defender and fired low into the underside nook of the web, however a VAR assessment confirmed that Foster was offside within the buildup.
South Africa’s Mbekezeli Mbokazi crashed the ball towards the crossbar with a rasping shot from 35 yards, earlier than Foster’s medical strike secured all three factors.
Zambia rally to attract with Mali
In an earlier Group A match on Monday, Zambia’s Patson Daka scored with a spectacular diving header in stoppage time to see his facet come from behind and pressure a 1-1 draw with Mali in Casablanca.
Mali appeared in management for many of the encounter, however paid the worth for sitting again within the closing levels as Zambia staged a late restoration, with Daka leaping by the air to pressure residence Mathews Banda’s curling cross two minutes into stoppage time on the finish of the sport.
Lassine Sinayoko had taken benefit of sloppy defending to provide Mali a 62nd-minute lead after his strike associate, El Bilal Toure, had a first-half penalty saved.
