OMDURMAN, Sudan
Sudan beat South Africa 2-0 at the Al Hilal Stadium in Omdurman on Sunday to secure their first Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification since 2012 when they reached the quarter finals.
Heading into the final
round of Group C matches, Sudan needed a win at home by all costs while Bafana
Bafana needed just a draw to progress as they went into the game in
second place ahead of the Sudanese.
However, it was the
home side who would meet their end of the bargain, bagging three points to
finish second with 12 points, one behind Ghana who finished top after a 3-1 win
over Sao Tome and Principe.
First half goals from
Saifeldin Maki and Mohamed Abdel Rahman saw Herbert Velud’s men clinch victory
on home soil and return to Africa’s premier competition.
The Sudanese went to
the breather two goals up, Saifeldin and Abdelrahman having given the home side
a healthy advantage and set them one foot into the flight to Cameroon.
They broke the deadlock
in the fifth minute when Saifeldin bounced in a header, towering above a forest
of players inside the box off a freekick from the left.
On the other end after
conceding, South Africa immediately put in the work to try and get back into
the game, knowing just a point would be enough to see them qualify.
They had a chance in
the 8th minute but defender Samawal Merghani made a decisive block at point
blank to deny Percy Tau after he had raced to a Thapelo Morena cross.
The Sudanese were
surviving under a half of South African attacks and saw their backline diluted
in the 10th minute when Faris Abdallah was forced out injured, his place taken
by Omer Ali.
In the 11th minute, a
mixture of good goalkeeping and the frame of goal ensured Sudan retained their single
goal lead. From a corner, Lebohang Maboe’s header was brilliantly saved by some
good reflex from keeper Ali Abdalla.
From the second set
piece, skipper Thulani Hlatshwayo saw his cracking header come off the crossbar
and when the ball was recycled inside the box, Tau’s shot was saved by the
keeper and Luther Singh’s follow up blocked by the defense and the ball hacked
away.
In the 18th
minute, Bafana had a go at goal again, this time Singh’s well
taken low freekick curling beyond the wall but missing the target by a whisker.
When they thought a n
equalizer was closer, South Africa were stabbed right where it hurts as Sudan
doubled their tally.
From Dhiya Mahjoub’s
long ball, Rahman calmly controlled, went into the area before taking out
Hlatshwayo with some quick stepovers and slamming the ball into the roof of the
net on his left foot.
South Africa were
stunned, but remained hungry to get back into the game. At the stroke of
halftime, they had a chance when Tau picked a loose ball inside the box, but
his stinging shot was pushed away by the keeper.
In the second half,
South Africa knew only goals would take them into the match and they made a
triple substitution, Lebohang Maboe, Tau and Singh coming off for Ruzaigh
Gamildien, Sandile Hlanti and Lyle Foster.
The South Africans
piled the pressure. They had a chance in the 74th minute when the Sudanese
keeper punched a ball to the edge of the area, but Foster’s shot went over with
the keeper out.
Morena had an even
better chance a minute later when he was sent through on goal by Themba Zwane,
but his shot was punched away by the keeper.
While Bafana piled
the pressure, they were almost stung on the counter, but Rahman couldn’t fire
his brace with a shot on the left hitting the side netting.
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