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South Africa stunned World Cup semi-finalists Morocco 2-0 to make it to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. Orlando Pirates striker Evidence Makgopa gave Hugo Broos' a 57th-minute lead and Teboho Mokoena secured a famous victory in the fifth minute of added-time. To compound their misery, Achraf Hakimi missed a late penalty and Sofyan Amrabat was sent off.
South Africa produced a big upset to knock 10-man Morocco out of the Africa Cup of Nations at the Round of 16 stage, beating the continent’s top-ranked nation 2-0 in a smash-and-grab performance in San Pedro.
Excellent second half goals from Evidence Makgopa and Teboho Mokoena earned Bafana Bafana a famous victory against a Moroccan side who saw Achraf Hakimi miss a late penalty and finished with ten men after Sofyan Amrabat was sent off.
Morocco had a string of openings and largely dominated possession, but South Africa were a threat throughout on the counter and they opened the scoring with one such move as Makgopa avoided the wonky offside trap and finished well into the bottom corner, with the goal allowed to stand after a VAR review
It looked like the Atlas Lions had been handed a reprieve when an unintentional but goal-saving handball by Mothobi Mvala saw Morocco awarded a penalty and a chance to level with just six minutes left on the clock.
But Hakimi hit the bar from the spot, and things went from bad to worse for Morocco when Amrabat was adjudged to have fouled Mokoena as last man and was shown a second yellow, which was subsequently upgraded to a straight red after a VAR review.
And Mokoena sealed the win for South Africa by whipping home a brilliant shot from the free-kick he had just won, sparking jubilant scenes in the Bafana Bafana squad.
They will now face Cabo Verde in a quarter-final of AFCON underdogs, while Morocco will rue a huge missed opportunity to win the continent’s biggest prize.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mali held on to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 and seal their place in the last eight, where they will play tournament hosts Ivory Coast.
What on earth went wrong for Morocco?
Missing a penalty, having a man sent off, and failing to convert a number of decent chances certainly didn’t help.
But there was more to this loss than just unfortunate moments. Morocco didn’t really look right in the first-half, playing well within themselves. And when they finally clicked into gear in the second half it was a bit too late.
Credit must go to South Africa for an excellent display and a tactical set up that took risks but proved extremely effective. Yet Morocco’s fans and federation would have had expectations of winning this tournament, and there will no doubt be pressure on the manager in the coming days.
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PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Teboho Mokoena (South Africa)
The scorer of the sublime late free-kick that wrapped up the win for his side, Mokoena was outstanding all evening.
He provided a constant outlet for his side, and tested Bono on a couple of occasions in the first half with decent long-range hits.
But the Moroccan stopper had little chance with his stunning set-piece effort late on.
