South Africa launched their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Angola in a pulsating Group B encounter, extending Bafana Bafana’s unbeaten run to 12 matches under Hugo Broos.
Determined to assert themselves as genuine contenders, South Africa faced an Angola side still searching for their first-ever AFCON win against them. The match began at a frenetic pace, with both teams playing on the front foot.
Teboho Mokoena tested his luck early with a speculative effort from distance that drifted narrowly over, while Angola responded through Fredy, whose superb left-footed volley forced Ronwen Williams into action.
The breakthrough came in the 21st minute when Oswin Appollis cut inside from the right flank and unleashed an unstoppable right-footed drive into the bottom corner to give South Africa the lead.
However, the advantage proved fragile. Williams was called into action again, making an unconventional but effective save to deny Gelson Dala’s header following a pinpoint Fredy corner.
Angola’s persistence was rewarded before the break. From another Fredy set-piece, Show reacted quickest to slide home an improvised finish, marking his 50th international appearance with a memorable goal and levelling the contest at half-time.
Broos introduced Tshepang Moremi at the start of the second half, and the substitute almost made an immediate impact. Within six minutes, he rifled a left-footed strike past Hugo Marques, only for VAR to rule out the goal after determining that Lyle Foster had interfered from an offside position.
South Africa remained on the front foot, with Mbekezeli Mbokazi rattling the crossbar with a thunderous effort as Angola began to wobble.
The Angolans were not without their moments, though, as Maestro went close with a threatening attempt of his own. Both sides pressed for a winner, and Foster endured a moment of frustration when he blazed over from close range after a fine delivery from Moremi.
That miss was quickly forgotten. The Burnley forward redeemed himself in style by curling a sublime effort beyond Marques, sealing victory for South Africa in Marrakesh.
While Foster’s overall performance had been uneven, his moment of brilliance proved decisive in a tightly contested match.
The result gives South Africa a strong platform ahead of their next Group B showdown against seven-time champions Egypt on Boxing Day. Angola, meanwhile, will feel unfortunate to leave empty-handed and will look to bounce back when they face Zimbabwe in their next fixture.
