A Mo Salah penalty was the difference in a dramatic Afcon 2025 Group B clash between South Africa and record seven-time winners Egypt in Stade d’Agadir on Friday.

The Liverpool star converted from the spot after the referee reviewed an incident in which he was caught by a trailing arm of defender Khuliso Mudau. Salah calmly stepped up to send goalkeeper Ronwen Williams the wrong way and give Egypt the lead on the cusp of half-time.

However, there was more drama in store in the first half as Egyptian defender Mohamed Hany was shown a second yellow card for a poor challenge.

Egypt sacrificed Manchester City star Omar Marmoush as they set out their stall for the remainder of the contest which was completely dominated by Bafana who had long spells of possession and pressure.

However, despite several close calls, Bafana Bafana were unable to break through. There was more controversy late on when Yasser Ibrahim clearly handled the ball. The only question was whether it was inside the penalty area. After several long minutes, referee Pacifique Ndabihimana was referred to the pitchside monitor but came back and ruled against the incident constituting a penalty.

There was one final flurry as the clock ticked over to 100 minutes but Egypt clung on for a crucial win.

Photo: Gallo Images/Zamani Makautsi