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Egypt 0-1 South Africa: Lorch's latest strike breaks heart of Pharaohs as Bafana Bafana's adventure continues with Afcon
Bafana Bafana was late in shocking the seven-time African champions as they qualified for the quarter-finals on Saturday night
Egypt was stunned by the end of Thembinkosi Lorch's strike, which silenced local supporters to send South Africa into the quarter-finals of the 2019 African Cup of Nations.
Bafana Bafana was waiting Saturday night a huge task to go on the ground in front of a stadium filled with stadiums in Cairo.
By facing Egypt in the round of 16, Bafana was clearly an outsider on paper after sneaking into the knockout stages as one of the top four teams in third place; the Pharaohs were among the favorites of the tournament – winning a 100% victory. record to date in the competition.
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Their chances were further reinforced by the news that the talisman Mohamed Salah had evacuated the disease before the kickoff and that he was anxious to leave.
This could have sowed fear in the training of the Bafana head coach, Stuart Baxter, while he was making two changes: Dean Furman, who was coming back from an injury and the footballer From the year 2018/19 the Premier Soccer League (PSL), Lorch, made his first appearance in the continental centerpiece. and was set for an unforgettable night.
The introduction of Lorch breathed new life into an attack by the Bafana, who failed to score a single shot in two of their group matches and scored only one goal, but the threat of Salah was a headache always present for his opponents.
The 27-year-old might have had to do better with his first effort, since he threw the ball deep inside the Bafana penalty area to give a quick warning to the man. Opposition for what was potentially going to happen.
The clash was the third match between the two sides in an Afcon, and Bafana was determined to get his first win over the African giants.
Percy Tau, who had a rather quiet tournament while he was the top scorer of qualifying, seemed to be a real threat while he was prying Mohamed El-Shenawy's hands.
Tau mounted a sparkling display and held the Egyptian goalkeeper busy and buckled a free kick saved with just over 20 minutes of play.
Bafana head coach Stuart Baxter undoubtedly tinkered with his game plan as the Bafana were much more positive.
However, throwing the corpses in the foreground meant that they were still exposed to the break and that Mahmoud & # 39; Trezeguet & # 39; Hbadan had better contact with his shot after a quick counterattack, the score could have been different.
It was a lively first period, with Bafana looking indisputably the best of both teams, but Egypt showed why they were not broken in this year's tournament because they were resolute in the back and kept the champions from 1996 to distance.
Upon their return for the second period, the Egyptian technical team was the first to react when Marwan Mohsen was removed from the role of Ahmed Ali in an attempt to pull the score in search of the opening match.
Egypt looked more determined in the opening minutes of the second period when Mohamed Elneny shot just over Ronwen Williams' goal.
Meanwhile, the partnership between Salah and Trezeguet held Bafana on his guard, but it was lacking the final product and just before the time of the break, he missed another opportunity.
After being led to the goal thanks to Salah's spectacular pbad on the defense, the 24-year-old sent his low-key effort into Williams' grateful arms.
As the match entered its last quarter, Egypt had not yet found the back of the net and frustration was beginning to be felt as the pressure mounted.
Half-time Bafana's best chance came 20 minutes from the end when Thulani Hlatshwayo had the best score, but he could not turn his head to the goal, much to the relief of the crowd.
Baxter's men regained confidence and produced an exciting football, Lorch entering more and more into the game, though it would spoil a golden opportunity to recover the bottom of the net.
But with the match scheduled for another 30 minutes, Bafana ended up out of the stalemate when Lorch showed coolness and delivered what proved to be a fatal blow, plunging Egyptian fans into complete silence. and justifying his calls. selection after being snubbed during the group stage.
In Egypt, Bafana never had the impression of giving up, as they had warrior attributes with the final whistle.
Their celebrations showed what victory meant for Bafana and maybe even for an entire nation as attention shifted to Nigeria in the last eight.
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