AFCON 2023: South Africa stun Morocco 2-1 to pick quarter-final spot

South Africa pulled a stunner against 10-man Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations, setting up a quarter-final clash against Cape Verde.

Evidence Makgopa opened the scoring in the 57th minute, with his goal surviving a VAR review for offside.

Meanwhile, Morocco had a chance to equalize late in the game when Achraf Hakimi was awarded a penalty after Mothobi Mvala was judged to have handled the ball.

However, Hakimi’s spot-kick hit the crossbar, denying Morocco the opportunity to draw level.

Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat was sent off in stoppage time, further complicating Morocco’s chances.

South Africa capitalized on their numerical advantage, with Teboho Mokoena sealing the victory with a fine free-kick past Bono. The win now brings South Africa into the quarter-finals, where they will face Cape Verde.

South Africa, the 1996 champions, will be aiming to surpass their quarter-final exit in the 2019 tournament as they look to advance to the semi-finals.