U17 AFCON: South Africa registers 4-3 win against Egypt in rollercoaster game
South Africa claimed a rollercoaster 4-3 victory over Egypt in their opening Group B fixture at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025 to make it a fine day for COSAFA teams on Monday.
After Zambia had earlier thumped Tanzania 4-1, South Africa took an early lead against the Egyptians, before finding themselves 3-1 down inside 18 minutes.
But coach Vela Khumalo’s side roared back and were level at 3-3 by halftime, before earning the victory with an Emile Witbooi winner in the second half.
The match exploded into life almost immediately, as South Africa took the lead in the first minute through Simphiwe Mlondo.
Egypt responded quickly, equalising three minutes later with a header from Anas Roshdi. The Pharaohs then surged ahead 3-1 with goals from Roshdi again and Hamza Abdel Karim in a dominant 20-minute spell.
Two penalties from Neo Bohloko – the first in the 27th minute and the second just before half-time – levelled the scores at 3-3 going into the interval.
Both sides created chances in a tense second half, but it was Witbooi who found the breakthrough, calmly finishing from the centre of the box after a well-timed pass from Bohloko.
Egypt’s misery was compounded in stoppage time when Omar Abdel Aziz received a red card following a VAR review.
There will be a record 10 places for Africa at the 48-team FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, an opportunity for the continent to showcase its outstanding emerging talent on the global stage.
This will include the eight quarter-finalists and two more teams decided via play-off matches between the sides that finish third in their pools in the group stages.
