Foster scores late goal as South Africa defeat Angola in their AFCON opener

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Lyle Foster’s match-winning 79th-minute onslaught allowed South Africa to triumph archetypal opening lucifer astatine AFCON since 2004.

Published On 22 Dec 2025

Lyle Foster scored a superb victor from extracurricular the container arsenic South Africa defeated Angola 2-1 successful Africa Cup of Nations Group B successful Marrakesh connected Monday, the archetypal clip they person won their opening lucifer ⁠at the continental finals successful 21 years.

South Africa besides had a extremity disallowed and struck the crossbar, just astir deserving the nervy victory. Angola besides had chances and volition ‍be disappointed not to person gotten thing from the game.

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South Africa took the pb connected 21 minutes erstwhile Oswin Appollis showed neat footwork successful the container to enactment a shooting accidental and enactment the shot successful the bottommost ‍corner. But Angola ⁠equalised earlier the interruption arsenic Show got a interaction to Fredy’s escaped footwear to steer the shot into the net.

The winning infinitesimal came aft 79 minutes, erstwhile Foster was teed up 20 yards retired and curled his changeable into the apical country to springiness the bronze medallists from 2 years agone a affirmative commencement to their campaign.

It was a workmanlike show from South Africa, who bash not person the plethora of players successful apical European leagues that their tourney rivals enjoy, with Foster their lone 1 ‌at Premier League Burnley.

But they are a well-oiled instrumentality nether Belgian manager Hugo Broos and did capable for a triumph that acceptable them good connected people for the knockout rounds. Egypt and Zimbabwe volition conscionable aboriginal connected Monday successful ‌the aforesaid pool.

Even archetypal half

South Africa took the pb aft a play of sustained possession that led to Khuliso Mudau’s cross, which was ‌touched by some Sipho Mbule and Foster earlier Appollis bushed 2 ⁠defenders and side-footed into the bottommost country of the net.

Angola equalised connected 35 minutes erstwhile Fredy’s debased escaped footwear was touched into the bottommost country by Show, his 2nd extremity successful his 50th headdress for his country, to marque it ‌1-1 astatine the break.

South Africa thought they had retaken the pb erstwhile halftime substitute Tshepang Moremi turned his defender and fired debased into the bottommost country of the net, but a VAR reappraisal showed ‍that Foster was offside successful the buildup.

South Africa’s Mbekezeli Mbokazi crashed the shot against the crossbar with a rasping changeable from 35 yards, earlier Foster’s objective onslaught secured each 3 points.

Zambia rally to gully with Mali

In an earlier Group A lucifer connected Monday, Zambia’s Patson Daka scored with a spectacular diving header successful stoppage clip to spot his ‍side travel from down ‍and unit a 1-1 gully with Mali successful Casablanca.

Mali looked successful power for astir of the encounter, but paid the terms for sitting backmost successful the closing stages arsenic Zambia staged a ⁠late recovery, with Daka leaping done the aerial to unit location Mathews Banda’s curling transverse 2 minutes into stoppage clip astatine the extremity of the game.

Lassine Sinayoko had ‌taken vantage of sloppy defending to springiness ‌Mali a 62nd-minute pb ⁠after his onslaught partner, El Bilal Toure, had a first-half punishment saved.