South Africa has now dumped Morocco out of the African Cup of Nations in a mouthwatering game of football.
With both teams just testing out each other in the first half, only one shot was on target in the first half, with both sides firing wide. Yousef En-Nesyri thought he gave his nation the lead, but he did it from an offside position.
The second half had a more positive start to proceedings, with Morocco immediately showing intent. The Bafana Bafana sat back, absorbed the pressure, and finally took matter into their hands. Evidence shows Makgopa running through on goal from a counterattack and drilling his shot beyond Yassine Bounou in the 57th minute.
In the 85th minute, Morocco was handed a lifeline when a penalty was awarded in their favor. Achraf Hakimi stepped up and could only find the crossbar with his attempt.
In a bid to find an equalizer, Morocco exposed themselves at the back, and Sofyan Amrabat was forced to make a last-man tackle in the 94th minute, which resulted in his being sent off after a VAR review.
Morocco got a double dose of punishment when Tebobo Mokoena took his freekick over the wall and beyond Bounou, giving the South Africans a 2-0 lead deep into stoppage time.
The Laurent Pokou stadium erupted in South African cheers when the referee’s whistle ended the game in San Pedro.
South Africa claimed the final quarterfinal slot and remained unbeaten in their knockout meetings against Morocco, following a 2-1 quarterfinal win in 1998.
