Bafana Bafana of South Africa have booked a place in the quarter finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after defeating tournament favorites, Morocco 2-0 on Tuesday.
This follows a major upset witnessed on Monday night when hosts Cote D’Ivoire knocked out champions Senegal 5-4 on penalties.
Evidence Makgopa gave South Africa the lead just before the hour mark in the Ivorian coastal city of San-Pedro, but Morocco had the chance to draw level five minutes from time from the penalty spot.
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.
Bafana Bafana go through to a quarter-final on Saturday in Yamoussokro against tiny Cape Verde, who have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament so far.
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 go 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 Africa 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.