Following narrow opening wins in AFCON 2025 Group B—Egypt's comeback 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe and South Africa's 1-0 defeat of Angola—the rivals meet in Agadir. Seven-time champions Egypt relied on Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Salah, while Bafana Bafana prevailed via Lyle Foster, setting up a tense clash.
The Africa Cup of Nations 2025 Group B action intensifies as Egypt faces South Africa on Friday at 15:00 GMT in Agadir, Morocco. Both teams sit on three points after unconvincing openers.
Egypt trailed Zimbabwe at halftime but equalized through Manchester City's Omar Marmoush in the 64th minute before captain Mohamed Salah's 91st-minute winner (as detailed in prior Group B coverage). Manager Hossam Hassan noted the need to learn from the struggle, substituting Emam Ashour early due to his Hepatitis A recovery.
South Africa led Angola via Oswin Appollis but adjusted at halftime, with substitute Tshepang Moremi enabling Burnley's Lyle Foster to score the 79th-minute decider in a 1-0 win. Coach Hugo Broos lauded the changes, while veteran Themba Zwane sat out injured.
Egypt boast an unbeaten run in open play over 11 AFCON games since 2021, though recent draws highlight vulnerabilities. South Africa, unbeaten in seven open-play matches since last year's Mali loss, have form against North Africans, including a 2019 win over Egypt.
Predicted line-ups pit Salah and Marmoush against Foster and Appollis. Analysts favor a draw given the balance. Next up on Monday: Egypt vs Angola, South Africa vs Zimbabwe.
