AFCON: South Africa’s Bafana Bafana Stun Atlas Of Morocco 2-0

HOME-BASED Evidence Makgopa and Teboho Mokoena were just the right bullets in Hugo Broos’s rifle as the 70-year-old shattered Atlas of Morocco’s sweet run at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) ongoing in Cote d’Ivoire.

Evidence Makgopa gave South Africa the lead just before the hour mark in the Ivorian coastal city of San-Pedro, but Morocco failed to retaliate as Achraf Hakimi missed a spot kick in the 84th minute.

The Paris Saint-Germain star Hakimi squandered the opportunity, sending his kick off the top of the bar and over before Morocco’s misery was compounded as Sofyan Amrabat was sent off in stoppage time and Teboho Mokoena scored South Africa’s second from the resulting free-kick.

The Bafana Bafana of South Africa, who are on their quest to continue to bring joy and honour to the rainbow nation, will have to conquer West African side Cape Verde on Saturday to reach the semifinals.

The South African giants will have to contend with fellow southerner Angola, West African neighbours Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, Guinea, Cape Verde and Central Dr Congo who complete the quarter-finals schedule.

But Morocco, World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, add to an ever-growing list of the continent’s biggest names to have been knocked out of this Cup of Nations, 24 hours after champions Senegal were eliminated on penalties by hosts Ivory Coast.

Africa’s top-ranked side were hoping to follow up their remarkable run to the last four in Qatar just over a year ago by winning their second AFCON title, 48 years after their first.

Instead, they went the same way as Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt in being knocked out, meaning none of the five top-ranked African nations will be present in the quarter-finals, as well as none of the four semi-finalists from the last edition.

A South African side featuring eight players from the country’s leading club Mamelodi Sundowns in their starting line-up took the lead in the 57th minute.

Themba Zwane released Orlando Pirates striker Makgopa, who finished past Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Yet a Morocco team missing the injured Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal were given a glorious chance to equalise late on.

They appealed loudly for a penalty when an Ayoub El Kaabi shot from point-blank range smashed into the arm of South African defender Mothobi Mvala.

The Sudanese referee initially waved play on before awarding the penalty after being called across to review the incident.

Up stepped Hakimi, the runner-up to Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen for the most recent African Footballer of the Year prize, but he failed to convert from the spot.

Morocco were then reduced to 10 men in the second minute of injury time as Amrabat of Manchester United was dismissed for a last-man challenge on Mokoena as the South Africa midfielder charged towards the penalty box.