Achraf Hakimi failed to score a penalty, and Sofyan Amrabat was sent off, resulting in South Africa advancing to the quarterfinals of AFCON at the expense of Morocco.
The first half of the match had few notable moments, with the highlight being Noussair Mazraoui’s powerful shot from outside the box, which was disallowed for offside.
The game gained momentum in the second half when Azzedine Ounahi narrowly missed a volley from 12 yards out for Morocco. However, against the flow of the game, Evidence Makgopa managed to evade the offside trap and score in the 57th minute, giving South Africa an unexpected lead.
Morocco, the favorites before the tournament, were given a chance to score when Ayoub El Kaabi’s shot hit Mothobi Mvala’s arm. However, Hakimi’s penalty hit the bar and went over in the final five minutes. To make things worse, Amrabat was shown a red card for a foul in the 91st minute. South Africa, who are ranked 56 places below Morocco, scored a second goal in stoppage time through Teboho Mokoena’s impressive free-kick, securing a memorable victory.
South Africa’s defense was outstanding, and Makgopa scored the first goal. Mokoena played a crucial role in getting Amrabat sent off with his speed and skill, and he sealed the win with a fantastic free-kick.
Although Amrabat, who is currently on loan at Manchester United, was sent off for a clumsy challenge towards the end of the game, Hakimi from Paris Saint-Germain missed a great opportunity to equalize. His penalty was not well executed and ultimately cost his team a chance to get back into the game.
After their victory, South Africa’s next match will be against Cape Verde in the quarter-finals on February 3rd in Yamoussoukro. Cape Verde narrowly defeated Mauritania 1-0 in the previous round of the competition. The winner of this match will then face either Angola or Nigeria in the semi-finals.
