The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) continued on Monday with thrilling Group B encounters, as South Africa and Egypt both secured hard-fought 2–1 victories in their opening matches.
South Africa 2–1 Angola
Bafana Bafana kicked off their campaign with a narrow win over Angola in a tightly contested clash. South Africa broke the deadlock in the 21st minute after Khuliso Mudau’s cross found Burnley striker Lyle Foster, who cleverly dummied the ball for Oswin Appollis to tap home from close range.
Angola responded just before halftime, with Show producing an excellent sliding finish from Fredy’s free-kick to level the score and keep the contest finely balanced at the break.
South Africa thought they had retaken the lead early in the second half when Tshepang Moremi smashed home a left-footed strike, but VAR intervened and ruled the goal out for offside, citing Foster’s interference in play.
With the match heading toward a draw, Foster redeemed himself in the 79th minute, curling a beautiful effort past Hugo Marques to secure all three points for South Africa.
Egypt 2–1 Zimbabwe
In the other Group B fixture, Zimbabwe shocked seven-time champions Egypt by taking the lead in the 20th minute. Prince Dube calmly finished inside the box to give the Warriors a surprise advantage heading into halftime.
Egypt responded with urgency in the second half and were rewarded in the 64th minute when Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush pulled the Pharaohs level.
Just when it appeared Zimbabwe would earn a famous draw, Mohamed Salah struck in stoppage time to seal a dramatic victory for Egypt. The goal also saw Salah make history as the first Egyptian to score in five consecutive AFCON tournaments.
