South Africa defeated Eritrea 5-0 on Wednesday evening at Al Salam Stadium in Cairo during the second matchday of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The fixture was hosted in Egypt after Eritrean venues failed to receive approval from the Confederation of African Football.
South Africa Takes First Place in Group D
Reliphile Mofokeng opened the scoring for South Africa in the 19th minute and added his second in stoppage time at 45+2 minutes to secure a 2-0 halftime lead.
With the win, South Africa moved to six points to claim sole possession of first place in Group D. Eritrea remained on one point in third place following an earlier 1-1 draw against Kenya. Group D action continues on Thursday as Kenya faces Guinea, with Guinea having previously lost to South Africa. The top two teams from each group qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
El-Ekiny Leads Eritrea Back to International Competition
El-Ekiny achieved a historical milestone by leading Eritrea back to international competition after a 19-year absence. Eritrea reached the qualifying stage by overcoming Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round.
Upcoming Friendly Against Egypt
The commanding victory serves as South Africa’s final preparation before facing Egypt in an international friendly on Sunday, October 4, at 9:00 PM at Cairo International Stadium. An Algerian officiating crew has been appointed for the friendly match, featuring Nabil Boukhalfa as the referee, alongside assistant referees Hamza Bouzit and Haitham Bouima.
Mosimane previously faced Egypt coach Hossam Hassan three times when Hassan managed Ittihad Alexandria and Mosimane led Al Ahly. Mosimane won all three encounters: a 2-1 victory in the Egypt Cup semi-finals, followed by 4-0 and 2-1 wins during the 2020-2021 Egyptian Premier League season.
