Salah seals Egypt qualification with win against South Africa at AFCON 2025

Egypt Advances to Knockout Stage with 1-0 Win Over South Africa

Agadir, Morocco - Egypt has secured a spot in the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after defeating South Africa 1-0 in Agadir on Friday. The match marked a crucial victory for the Egyptian team, which was reduced to 10 men in the first half due to a red card issued to right back Mohamed Hany.

The winning goal was scored by Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, who converted a penalty kick in the 45th minute after being fouled by South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena. The incident occurred when Mokoena struck Salah’s left eye, prompting an Egyptian protest and a VAR review that ultimately led to the awarding of the penalty.

Egypt’s victory has secured a top-two finish in Group B and guaranteed a place in the round of 16. South Africa now trails behind Egypt with three points, while Angola and Zimbabwe are tied with one point each after their draw earlier on Friday.

The match was marked by several key moments, including a rare South African attack that ended in a weak shot being saved by Egyptian goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy. Salah’s penalty kick proved to be the decisive moment, as he comfortably converted it despite being closely policed by South Africa’s Aubrey Modiba.

In other Group B matches, Angola and Zimbabwe drew 1-1 against each other earlier on Friday, with veteran Knowledge Musona scoring for Zimbabwe in added time to level the score. The draw has left both teams two points adrift of joint leaders Egypt and South Africa after having played one match more.

Source: Al Jazeera