Egypt booked their place in the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a game to spare after a dramatic 1–0 victory over South Africa, thanks to a decisive first-half penalty from captain Mohamed Salah.
The seven-time African champions were forced to dig deep after playing the entire second half with 10 men, but their resilience and defensive discipline ensured they walked away from the Stade de Marrakech with maximum points.
The Pharaohs struck on the stroke of halftime when Salah coolly converted a controversially awarded penalty in the 45th minute. Moments later, the Pharaohs’ celebrations were cut short as right-back Mohamed Hany received his second yellow card during first-half stoppage time, leaving the north Africans to defend their slender lead a man down.
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South Africa responded at the break with an attacking switch, introducing Sipho Mbule to intensify pressure upfront. Despite enjoying possession and pushing forward relentlessly, Bafana Bafana were repeatedly frustrated by Egypt’s disciplined defense and the outstanding Mohamed El Shenawy in goal.
The Egyptian shot-stopper produced a match-defining save late in the game, denying Aubrey Modiba after a clever backheel assist from Burnley striker Lyle Foster. El Shenawy was again alert deep into stoppage time, calmly collecting Siyabonga Ngezana’s weak header.
Drama continued into injury time as South Africa appealed for a handball penalty, prompting a VAR review on the pitchside monitor. However, the referee waved play on, sealing Egypt’s hard-earned win.
With Angola and Zimbabwe sharing points earlier, the result confirmed Egypt’s qualification for the last 16. Hugo Broos’ South African side now sit two points ahead of the remaining Group B challengers and face a must-win scenario in their final match.
The group concludes on Monday at 16:00 GMT, with South Africa facing Zimbabwe in Marrakesh while the Pharaohs square off against Angola in Agadir.