Foster Ends 21-Year Drought As Bafana Beat Angola In AFCON Match
Lyle Foster scored a dramatic winner as Bafana Bafana finally won their opening group-stage match at the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 2004, edging Angola at Stade de Marrakech on Monday.
The Burnley striker, who endured a difficult spell in this game, curled home a superb finish with 11 minutes of regulation time remaining to secure a historic 2–1 victory. The goal ended South Africa’s 21-year wait for an opening AFCON group-stage win and handed Hugo Broos’ side a crucial three points.
As a result, Bafana Bafana moved to the top of Group B with two matches still to play, although they could be overtaken later depending on the outcome of the clash between Egypt and Zimbabwe.
Ahead of the tournament, Broos had repeatedly stressed the importance of starting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on a positive note, insisting that an opening victory would place South Africa in a strong position to progress from the group stages.
The 1996 AFCON champions had not won their first match at the tournament since Siyabonga Nomvethe’s brace in a 2–0 victory over Benin in 2004 and had failed to do so in the last six editions, including a 2–0 loss to Mali in the previous tournament.
Monday’s clash also marked Broos’ 50th match in charge of Bafana Bafana, and the 2017 AFCON-winning coach was keen to mark the milestone with a statement performance—something his team delivered.
Angola threatened early, with Alfred Ribeiro testing Ronwen Williams with a powerful volley from outside the box, but the Bafana captain reacted superbly, palming the ball away at full stretch.
South Africa took the lead in the 21st minute when Oswin Appollis drove a low shot inside the box that beat Angola goalkeeper Hugo Marques at his near post. However, the Palancas Negras responded strongly and nearly equalised when Jacinto Dala met a corner, forcing Williams into another vital intervention.
Angola’s pressure eventually paid off just before half-time. Manuel Cafumuna flicked Ribeiro’s free kick with the outside of his boot to beat Williams at the near post, capitalising on poor marking from the South African defence to level the score.
Broos reacted at the break, withdrawing Mohau Nkota and introducing Tshepang Moremi to tighten things up. The substitution nearly paid immediate dividends as Moremi fired home after a turnover in possession, but the goal was ruled out for offside against Foster in the build-up.
Bafana continued to push forward, with Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s thunderous strike crashing against the crossbar, while Foster squandered a clear chance after Moremi kept the ball in play and pulled it back into the box.
The striker made amends in the 79th minute. Moremi, who had been lively since coming on, flicked the ball into Foster’s path, and the forward curled a brilliant shot from the edge of the box to seal a famous win for South Africa.
Bafana Bafana will now turn their attention to a heavyweight Group B clash against Egypt on Boxing Day in Agadir, while Angola will look to bounce back when they face Zimbabwe on the same day.
