Soccer

BLOW BY BLOW | Ten-player Egypt hang on for slender win against Bafana

All the action as South Africa face mighty Pharaohs in their second Group B clash Agadir, Morocco

Marc Strydom

Marc Strydom

Digital Sports Editor, from Johannesburg

Omar Marmoush of Egypt is challenged by Teboho Mokoena of Bafana Bafana in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Group B match at Adrar Stadium in Agadir, Morocco on Friday. (Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix)

FULL TIME - Egypt 1 Bafana Bafana 0

That’s it, Egypt win, and given their dominance in the opening half and mostly superb defence with 10 men for all of the second, they ultimately deserved it.

Bafana will feel some decisions went against them, though. Perhaps a soft penalty Salah scored from where Mudau did not seem to make contact purposely, the VAR on Ibrahim’s hand-ball did not go SA’s way.

There might be some critics that Bafana did not use their skill enough. It would seem really harsh if there is. They went toe to toe with continental superstars in a super-competitive, tight and often physical, frenetically-paced clash and had their moments to get more from the game.

Brave, but not enough. Bafana need a win against Zimbabwe back at Marrakesh Stadium on Monday to reach the last 16.

90min+13 - That’s it, that is the ball game. Final whistle. Egypt hang on, and by the end they really did hang on, for the 1-0 win!!

90min+12 - Modiba drive from range, with a slight deflection, close to the right upright.

90min+10 - So little time left. Surely that’s the ball game.

90+7 - Corner, Ngezana header, desperate save from El Shenawy!

90min+4 - No penalty!!! Was it on the line?? The ref did not seem to check from the best camera angle?

87min - Mokoena shot gets a hand-ball from Yasser Ibrahim on the ground. Free-kick awarded centimetres outside the box.

VAR check for penalty!!! It could be a good shout!!

85min - Bafana pile on the pressure but no way through.

80min - Elias Mokwana on for Moremi.

79min - Even better chance. Foster’s cheeky backheel in the box tees up Modiba close in, but he can’t get hold of it and El Shenawy stops again.

74min - Best chance yet for Bafana. Mudau smacks a loose ball from just inside the box, El Shenawy has to dive for the low stop. The classy keeper had it covered too.

72min - 20min, with added time, left for Bafana to equalise. They haven’t had the confidence to spread the ball around calmly. Egypt, also, of course, superbly organised and pedigreed. As the pressure mounts, can Bafana conjure something special?

67min - Egypt, not surprisingly, not exactly pinned back by Bafana, Salah especially making the frenetic running to keep the North Africans dangerous.

SA will need something special to find an equaliser.

61min - Mudau, after a mis-hit Mbokazi free kick, is offside being perhaps brought down by El Shenawy. VAR confirms Mudau was offside.

Fiery, tense, super-competitive stuff there on the pitch at Adrar Stadium!

59min - But Egypt will be dangerous on the counter.

Salah beats a player to advance, earns a free-kick that is taken quickly and worked via the Liverpool man to Ashour on the left, who strikes hard and Williams makes a reflex save.

58min - Some shots at goal.

Moremi tamely at El Shenawy from just outside the box, but finally Bafana force a save.

Then Modiba with a drive from range wide of the left upright.

53min - Early in the second half the player’s advantage and probably also another improvement in approach a la Angola sees Bafana pressing forward.

Egypt also are understandably recouping and finding time to adjust to being a player down, so in their shell for now.

46min - The action is back ...

46min - half-time subs -

Bafana:

Sipho Mbule on for Thalente Mbatha

Egypt:

Midfielder Emam Ashour on for Marmoush

HALF TIME - Egypt 1 Bafana Bafana 0

So much to break down. Bafana are a goal down at the break in Agadir. But Egypt are a man down. Seemed a soft penalty against Mudau.

Playing with an extra player is not always an advantage - especially against a team of the defensive and all-round class of the Pharaohs.

Bafana rallied notably in the second half against Angola. Can they do it again against a better side on paper, but one that will have to work like Trojans to make up for the red card to Hany?

Against Angola, Moremi came on and played a major role helping Bafana find attacking momentum.

SA barely got fluent attacking movements into gear. Broos needs a similar answer from his bench here as he had against Palancas Negras. Who can provide it? What tactical changes can provide it?

Those are big, big, questions. Join me for the second half to find out what happens in this really absorbing clash!!

To recap on the bookings - SA have Mudau, Mokoena and Foster. Egypt just have Hany’s red.

45min+4 - That’s the break ...

So much drama at Adrar Stadium at the end of the first half!

45min+2 - RED CARD for Egypt!!!

Mohamed Hany clatters down Mokeona at the touchline, no contact with the ball. Egypt’s left-back, a source of so much of their attacking momentum, gets his marching orders.

45min - GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!! Egypt 1 Bafana 0

Salah steps up, sends Williams the wrong way and slots easily. Of course he does!

Bafana have to fight back in Agadir.

43min - PENALTY!!!

The penalty has been awarded to Egypt! Mudau booked, Foster booked.

41min - It’s a VAR check (!!!) for a penalty against Bafana for Salah going down in the box (in the 40th), challenged by a possible outstretrched arm from Khuliso Mudau across the Egypt striker’s face.

39min - Seems encouraging Bafana are strong in the challenge and have their shape now when Egypt try to venture forward.

Little discouraging SA have little possession, are playing marginally deep (though containing) and not so much fluid, unbroken forward momentum.

Shades of the opening half against Egypt, though Bafana conceding far less chances - one real one, really, from that Marmoush free kick. Williams mostly inactive. El Shenawy even more so.

34min - Signs of forward momentum from SA. They earn a free-kick that ends in the arms of El Shenawy, Moremi gets a run in down the left flank

Still mostly cautious by both sides - a sign of the importance of the clash, some mutual respect probably too.

28min - Bafana reel the game back in. Egypt also classy enough to bide their time. SA yet to get much of their foot on the ball.

22min - Marmoush’s resultant free-kick looks deadly, misses the left upright by inches as Williams remains stationary.

20min - Egypt applying some pressure now. They win the ball, Marmoush on a run down the middle and brought down by Mokoena, who is booked.

18min - Ngezana clatters into Marmoush with a sliding challenge at the left byline, Egypt in attack, appears to win the ball but a free-kick awarded.

... taken harmlessly.

12min - LB 3-Mohamed Hany in space on the flank, crosses dangerously just in front of Mo Salah.

7min - Some tentative opening exchanges as both sides err on the side of caution.

A tentative cross by Mbatha, probe by Marmoush. No chances, no saves.

5.01pm - 1min - We have kickoff ...

4.50pm - 10min to kickoff ...

4.32pm - It’s a familiarly intimidating Egypt starting XI:

Egypt: Mohamed El Shenaway (Al Ahly); Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly), Yasser Ibrahim (Al Ahly), Ramy Rabia (Al-Ain, UAE), Mohamed Hamdy (Pyramids FC); Marwan Attia (Al Ahly), Zizo (Al Ahly), Hamdy Fathy (Al-Wakrah, Qatar); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, England), Trezeguet (Al Ahly), Omar Marmoush (Manchester City)

Substitutes: Ahmed El Shenawy, Khaled Sobhy, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Emam Ashour, Salah Mohsen, Mostafa Mohamed, Ahmed Abou El Fotouh, Mohamed Shehata, Mohanad Lasheen, Mostafa Fathi, Ibrahim Adel, Osama Faisal, Ahmed Eid, Mostafa Shobeir, Mahmoud Saber

For more on record seven-time Nations Cup winners Egypt, their coach, star players, record against Bafana and at Afcon, see Sazi Hadebe’s profile here.

4.04pm - The starting XIs are out. Mahlatse Mphahlele story from Adrar Stadium here.

Here is Bafana Bafana. Two very interesting changes and looks a new formation too - change to a 4-3-3.

Tshepang Moremi comes in to start ahead of Mohau Nkota (in a three-man attack with Lyle Foster and Oswin Appollis).

Thalente Mbatha comes into a tough, three-man midfield (with Teboho Mokoena and Sphepehlo Sithole). Sipho Mbule drops to the bench.

Seems most likely to be a 4-3-3.

Bafana Bafana XI (likely 4-3-3): Ronwen Williams; Khuliso Mudau, Aubrey Modiba, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Siyabonga Ngezana; Teboho Mokoena, Sphephelo Sithole, Thalente Mbatha; Oswin Appollis, Tshepang Moremi, Lyle Foster

Substitutes: Sipho Chaine, Ricardo Goss, Thabang Matuludi, Tylon Smith, Khulumani Ndamane, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Samukele Kabini, Bathusi Aubaas, Sipho Mbule, Mohau Nkota, Shandre Campbell, Relebohile Mofokeng, Elias Mokwana, Evidence Makgopa

Bafana line-up:

Bafana Bafana's starting XI and substitutes in their 2025 Afcon Group B clash against Egypt. (South African Football Association)

3.12pm - And now we wait for kickoff ...

The line-ups should be out at about 4pm.

3pm - Here is some video content from Mahlatse Mphahlele on today’s match:

Hugo Broos says Bafana will not on focus individual stars in Egypt’s powerful line-up, like Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush and Mahmoud Trezeguet:

Bafana striker Evidence Makgopa living his dream:

Mahlatse’s Daily Afcon Talking Point:

2.30pm - While we await kickoff, here is some more of Mahlatse Mphahlele’s coverage from Morocco so far:

2pm - Again, this really is a huge one ladies and gents ...

Perhaps the state of your blogger’s stomach sums up the first and second games. There were some butterflies in the build-up to the opener against Angola. The win there by Hugo Broos’ team settled those a bit.

For the SA players, perhaps it’s been a similar sensation in their build-up today at breakfast, on the bus, in the change rooms and warm-ups. Nerves settled a bit by starting with a win, but full knowledge their target at this Afcon of going one better than third place in Ivory Coast early last year could become a far easier task if they win or draw against Egypt.

Bafana came through in their opening 2-1 win against Angola - always tougher than many might have thought given that side’s wealth of players based in strong leagues - with an understandably and impressively hard-fought effort.

The spectre of Morocco in the last 16 for the team that finishes second in Group B continues to loom.

Both Egypt and Bafana can clinch progression and go a long way towards ending top of Group B if they win this (Friday) afternoon.

A draw would be a good result for Bafana. Then, looking ahead, if Egypt end with a slender (preferrably one-goal margin) win against tough Angola, and Bafana could beat Zimbabwe by 2-0 or more, on the head-to-head ruling SA would have the same points (five) as he Pharoahs and the two would not be separated by the draw against each other.

The next criteria of “goals scored in the head-to-head match” would also not count so goal difference might favour SA with a strong win against Zim.

All a bit confusing, all a bit up in the air and definitely I am getting ahead of myself here.

Still, brings it home really. It’s not a must-win in Agadir by any stretch, but the result could really matter.

To relive the live blow-by-blow of the win against Angola, by the way, click here.

Mahlatse’s Bafana v Angola match report here.

1.30pm - Your host on today’s LIVE UPDATES BLOG for another huge, huge 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group B clash between Egypt and Bafana Bafana is me, Marc Strydom, Digital Sports Editor for TimesLIVE and Arena Holdings.

I am not in Morocco, but compiling this blow-by-blow via TV from my living room in Melville, Joburg.

The hugely experienced, sage and knowledgeable senior football writer Mahlatse Mphahlele is in Adrar Stadium in Agadir, as he continues his Afcon coverage from Morocco.

Catch his match report at just after 7pm.

First up, here are some match details:

Venue: Adrar Stadium, or Grand Stade Adrar, Agadir, Morocco

Kickoff: 4pm in Morocco, 5pm SA time

Bafana world and Africa ranking: 61 and 11

Egypt world and Africa ranking: 35 and 4

Stadium capacity: 45,480

Stadium surface: Grass

Match officials: Referee - Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi)

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