Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Africanews
Published on 2024-01-31 10:46:31
The Africa Cup of Nations continues to be full of surprises, with South Africa’s Bafana Bafana securing a 2-0 victory over Morocco in the round of 16 at the Laurent Pokou stadium in San Pédro, Cote d’Ivoire on Tuesday (Jan. 30). The match saw Achraf Hakimi miss a late penalty, adding to Morocco’s disappointment as they were knocked out of the tournament.
The Bafana Bafana’s Evidence Makgopa and Teboho Mokoena scored the winning goals in the 57th minute and the fifth minute of stoppage time, respectively, securing their spot in the quarterfinals at Morocco’s expense. Morocco’s coach, Walid Regragui, expressed his disappointment at the unexpected early exit and acknowledged the challenges of the tournament.
Despite missing key players due to injuries, Morocco created more chances during the game but failed to capitalize. The Atlas Lions faced further setbacks when Achraf Hakimi missed the penalty and Sofyan Amrabat was sent off in injury time, ultimately leading to their defeat.
Morocco’s exit adds to the list of big-name teams, including Senegal, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Algeria, and Tunisia, who have also been knocked out of the tournament before the quarterfinal stage.
South Africa’s coach, Hugo Broos, expressed his joy at the victory, emphasizing the significance of defeating a team like Morocco. The Bafana Bafana will now face Cape Verde in the quarterfinals.
Interestingly, none of the quarterfinalists from the previous edition of the Africa Cup or the five African teams that played at the 2022 World Cup have secured a spot in the last eight this time. This unexpected turn of events adds to the excitement and unpredictability of this year’s tournament.
This victory for South Africa is reminiscent of their first AFCON finals appearance in 1996, where they emerged as the champions.
