Achraf
Hakimi missed a vital late penalty as much-fancied Morocco became the latest
heavyweight casualty of the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, suffering a shock
2-0 defeat to South Africa in the last 16.
Evidence Makgopa
gave South Africa the lead just before the hour mark in
the Ivorian coastal city of San-Pedro, but Morocco had the chance to
draw level five minutes from time from the penalty spot. Paris
Saint-Germain star Hakimi squandered the opportunity, sending
his kick off the top of the bar and over, before Morocco's misery was
compounded as Sofyan Amrabat was sent off in stoppage time and Teboho
Mokoena scored South Africa's second from the resulting free-kick.
Bafana
Bafana go through to a quarter-final on Saturday in Yamoussokro against tiny
Cape Verde, who have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament so
far. "We came here with the first aim of getting out of our group,"
said South Africa's Belgian coach Hugo Broos. "We were delighted to do
that but you can't be certain of going any further when you come up against
Morocco.
"On
Saturday we will once again be playing against a dangerous team and we
can't make the mistake of underestimating them," he added of Cape Verde.
Meanwhile Morocco, World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, add to an ever-growing
list of the continent's biggest names to have been knocked out of this
Cup of Nations, 24 hours after champions Senegal were eliminated on penalties
by hosts Ivory Coast.
Africa's
top-ranked side were hoping to follow up their remarkable run to the
last four in Qatar just over a year ago by winning their second AFCON
title, 48 years after their first. Instead they go the same way as Senegal,
Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt in being knocked out, meaning none of the five
top-ranked African nations will be present in the quarter-finals, as well as
none of the four semi-finalists from the last edition.
"We are
very disappointed because we came here with the ambition of winning,"
admitted Morocco coach Walid Regragui. "Going out so early was not in
our plans but this competition is very difficult. I take
responsibility for everything that has happened. I never hide. Today I
have failed," he added.
okoena
stars
A South
Africa side featuring eight players from the country's leading club
Mamelodi Sundowns in their starting line-up took the lead in the 57th
minute. Themba Zwane released Orlando Pirates striker Makgopa, who finished
past Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Yet a Morocco
team missing the injured Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal were given a
glorious chance to equalise late on. They appealed loudly for a
penalty when an Ayoub El Kaabi shot from point-blank range smashed into the arm
of South African defender Mothobi Mvala.
The Sudanese
referee initially waved play on before awarding the penalty after being called
across to review the incident. Up stepped Hakimi, the
runner-up to Nigeria's Victor Osimhen for the most recent African footballer of
the year prize, but he failed to convert from the spot.
Morocco were
then reduced to 10 men in the second minute of injury time as Amrabat
of Manchester United was dismissed for a last-man challenge on Mokoena as
the South Africa midfielder charged towards the penalty box. Amrabat was
initially given a second yellow, a punishment that was upgraded to a straight
red following a review.
The
excellent Mokoena, one of the Sundowns contingent, then
converted the resulting free-kick to finish off Morocco once and for
all.
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