South Africa and Tanzania Exit AFCON in Round of 16 Heartbreak

The Africa Cup of Nations witnessed two compelling Round of 16 encounters that saw both South Africa and Tanzania bow out of the tournament, despite spirited performances from the underdogs.

South Africa Fall Short Against Cameroon

South Africa’s AFCON campaign came to a disappointing end with a 2-1 defeat to Cameroon, a result that saw the Indomitable Lions finally break their winless streak against Bafana Bafana after seven consecutive matches without victory.

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The opening exchanges suggested a different outcome might be on the cards. South Africa dominated the early proceedings, creating several promising opportunities against a visibly nervous Cameroon backline. Relebohile Mofokeng squandered a gilt-edged chance when played through on goal, his finish sailing harmlessly over the crossbar. Moments later, Lyle Foster thought he had given South Africa the lead with a well-taken angled finish, only for the celebrations to be cut short by the offside flag, a decision confirmed by VAR.

Cameroon struggled to establish any meaningful attacking rhythm until the 34th minute when they seized the initiative. Following a poorly cleared corner, a speculative shot from distance took several deflections before falling kindly to Junior Tchamadeu, who marked his international debut goal with a composed, curling finish from close range.

The momentum swung decisively in Cameroon’s favor just two minutes into the second half. Aboubakar Nagida delivered a dangerous cross that Christian Kofane met with a perfectly placed header from an acute angle, doubling the advantage for David Pagou’s side.

South Africa refused to surrender without a fight. Goalkeeper Devis Epassy emerged as Cameroon’s hero, producing a string of crucial saves to preserve his team’s lead. His most vital intervention came on 62 minutes when he denied Samukele Kabini from point-blank range, before acrobatically tipping Teboho Mokoena’s curling free-kick around the post moments later.

Evidence Makgopa’s close-range strike with 88 minutes on the clock set up a tense finale, but South Africa couldn’t conjure an equalizer during five minutes of added time. Cameroon held firm to advance to the quarter-finals, their third victory by a single-goal margin in four tournament matches.

Tanzania’s Brave Resistance Ends Against Morocco

In a parallel story of valiant effort falling just short, Tanzania exited the tournament following a narrow 1-0 defeat to hosts Morocco. The Taifa Stars can take immense pride in their performance, having pushed the tournament favorites to the limit.

Morocco dominated possession from the opening whistle but found Tanzania’s defensive organization difficult to crack. An early headed goal by Ismael Saibari was disallowed for offside, setting the tone for a frustrating afternoon for the Atlas Lions. Brahim Díaz and Ayoub El Kaabi both came close before halftime, yet remarkably, Morocco failed to register a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes—a testament to Miguel Ángel Gamondi’s astute tactical setup.

The second half maintained the pattern of Moroccan pressure meeting Tanzanian resistance. Hussein Masalanga produced a stunning save to deny Abde Ezzalzouli’s close-range header five minutes after the restart. Tanzania then nearly shocked the home crowd when Feisal Salum was presented with a glorious opportunity, only to blaze his effort over the bar.

Achraf Hakimi struck the woodwork on the hour mark as Morocco’s frustration grew, but relief finally arrived in the 64th minute. Díaz found space to beat Masalanga at his near post, maintaining his remarkable record of scoring in every match for Morocco in this tournament.

Despite the deficit, Tanzania continued to battle, but Morocco managed the closing stages professionally to secure their passage to the quarter-finals, where they will face Cameroon on Friday.

For Tanzania, elimination cannot diminish their achievement of navigating past the AFCON group stage for the first time in their history. They depart the tournament with reputations enhanced and heads held high, having proven they belong on Africa’s biggest footballing stage.