Bafana Bafana beat Angola 2-1 on Monday to pick up three points in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations opener, thanks to goals in each half from Oswin Appollis and Lyle Foster.
Bafana Bafana clinched a 2-1 victory over Angola in their opening Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) match on Monday, 22 December. Goals from Oswin Appollis and Burnley striker Lyle Foster in each half secured a hard-fought victory for coach Hugo Broos's men.
South Africa (SA) had not won its opening game in Afcon since 2004, when they beat Benin 2-0. At the 2023 edition, Bafana Bafana were vanquished 2-0 by Mali in their opener.
Orlando Pirates winger Appollis opened the scoring for Bafana in the 21st minute after pouncing on a Khuliso Mudau cross that was bobbling around the Angolan box.
The Angolans, who had been knocking ever since SA opened the scoring, equalised in the 35th minute through a toe-poke finish at the near post by Turkey-based midfielder Manuel Show.
Substitute Tshepang Moremi, who replaced Mohau Nkota at half-time, thought he had equalised for Bafana Bafana six minutes into the second stanza.
However, after a video assistant referee check, the winger's strike was chalked off as striker Lyle Foster was ruled to have been offside in the lead-up to the goal.
A few minutes later, Chicago Fire defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi struck the post from distance, with Angolan goalkeeper Hugo...
