Africa Cup of Nations – Salah scores penalty to send 10-man Egypt to the Round of 16 over South Africa.

The second round of the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations continued, with ten-man Egypt defeating South Africa 1-0. With two consecutive wins, they secured first place in their group, becoming the first team to advance to the round of 16 in this year's Africa Cup of Nations.

Egypt and South Africa were locked in a stalemate in the opening stages, with Egypt finally getting their first chance of the game in the 22nd minute from a set piece. Omar Malmush, who took the set piece, opted for a direct shot, but the ball sailed over the wall and just over the crossbar.

In the 29th minute, the second shot of the match came from South Africa: Teboho Mokona delivered a long pass from midfield, accurately finding the advancing Lyle Foster. However, Foster's shot, under close marking from Yasser Ibrahim, was weak and easily saved by Mohamed Shinawatra.

In the 39th minute, Mohamed Salah was struck in the head by Kouliso Mudau in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty after VAR intervention. Salah converted the penalty himself, giving Egypt a 1-0 lead. However, his teammate Mohamed Hani was sent off in the 4th minute of first-half stoppage time after receiving a second yellow card, forcing Egypt to play with 10 men for the remainder of the match.

Facing a 10-man Egypt, South Africa failed to gain the expected advantage. They didn't get a chance until the 74th minute when Mudao broke into the penalty area and took a shot, but it was immediately saved by Sinavi. In the 79th minute, Aubry Modiba and Foster combined for a series of passes before Modiba's shot was caught by Sinavi.

In the 87th minute, Mokona's shot from the edge of the penalty area struck Ibrahim's arm, but after reviewing the video replay, the referee ruled it an unintentional handball. Egypt escaped a close call and ultimately secured the victory by one goal.