Bafana Bafana’s hopes of lifting a second Africa Cup of Nations title came to an end after a 2–1 defeat to Cameroon in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations. The match was played in Rabat, where South Africa was unable to build on their progress from the group stages.
The game started at a high tempo, with both teams showing urgency in the opening exchanges. South Africa created the better early chances but failed to take advantage, and they were made to pay as Cameroon grew into the contest. The Indomitable Lions were forced into an early change when Darlin Yongwa went off injured in the 21st minute, with Aboubakar Nagida coming on in his place.
It was a meeting between two former African champions, with Cameroon’s rich AFCON history, five titles, outweighing South Africa’s single triumph, which came more than 30 years ago. Despite Bafana having enjoyed the better of recent head-to-head meetings, Cameroon found a way to edge this crucial knockout tie.
This was only the second time the two nations met at AFCON finals. Their first encounter came during South Africa’s debut tournament in 1996, when Bafana Bafana claimed a famous 3–0 win on home soil and went on to lift the trophy.
While the defeat will be a disappointment, South Africa will now turn their focus to the FIFA World Cup. The nation will be hoping Bafana Bafana can take the lessons from this AFCON campaign, build consistency, and continue climbing the ladder on the world stage as they prepare to represent the country at football’s biggest tournament.
