Mofokeng: I Should Have Scored

Bafana Bafana attacker Relebohile Mofokeng says he takes his share of the blame for missing an early clear-cut chance as South Africa exited the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations at the hands of Cameroon on Sunday.

Bafana Bafana were knocked out in the round of 16 by the Indomitable Lions, who defeated Hugo Broos’ side 2–1 at Al Medina Stadium.

Despite the result, South Africa started brightly in a surprise 3-4-3 formation and took the game to Cameroon in the opening stages.

Mofokeng, making his first start of the tournament, latched onto a precise pass on the edge of the box but fired his effort over the crossbar while well placed.

Bafana thought they had taken the lead shortly afterwards when Mofokeng set up Lyle Foster, but the Burnley striker was correctly flagged offside after timing his run incorrectly.

“That chance should have opened the game up for us,” Mofokeng told SABC Sport.

“I also take responsibility because I should have scored that chance. We created many opportunities, and we should have taken them.”

This was the first meeting between South Africa and Cameroon since their famous encounter in the opening match of the 1996 AFCON, when Bafana Bafana claimed a 3–0 victory at FNB Stadium on their way to lifting the trophy on home soil.

Interestingly, the fixture also pitted the bronze medallists from the last two AFCON tournaments against each other, with South Africa finishing third at the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast, while Cameroon claimed bronze in 2022.

“When we went 1–0 down, we wanted to show the spirit that we could still score,” continued Mofokeng.

“We didn’t lose hope because we believed we could progress from the round of 16. Our spirits were high because the game wasn’t over yet; it had just started.

“We should have continued to work hard and play the way we did because I think we had the game in our hands. We just needed to take our chances.”

As Bafana Bafana return home from the AFCON, Mofokeng also reflected on his own tournament, in which he featured in two matches for a total of 97 minutes.

“It was difficult because we were playing against world-class players,” he said.

“But I gained a lot of experience, and I believe next time things will be better because of what I’ve learned.”