LIVE UPDATES ON ERITREA VS SOUTH AFRICA
The final whistle sounds. Eritrea 0-5 South Africa.
90′ ⚽️ Goal! Singh taps in from close range to make it 5-0 to South Africa. Appollis with his third assist!
85′ ⚽️ Two brilliant successive saves. Eritrea push to break South Africa’s cleansheet for a consolation but Williams makes the saves.
73′ ⚽️ Tripple change. Rayners, Makhanya and Maseko depart for Seema, Singh and Mailula
63′ ⚽️ Goal! Rayners smashes home from a tight angle on the far left. Appollis with another assist. Eritrea 0- 4 South Africa.
52′ ⚽️ Goal! Appollis’ shot is spilled by the keeper before Sithole arrives to tap home inside the box. Eritrea 0-3 South Africa.
46′ ⚽️ The second half is underway in Cairo.
Half Time!
45′ ⚽️ Goal! Mofokeng with his second. Unbelievable dribble past two Eritrea defenders before smashing into the corner. Eritrea 0-2 South Africa.
33′ ⚽️ Yellow card! Makhanya is booked after a cynical foul on Gerezgiher.
29′ ⚽️ Shot over the bar! Gerezgiher with a great run on the counter but his curling effort goes too wide.
26′ ⚽️ Eritrea clear after a dangerous inswining corner from Bafana’s Maseko.
19′ ⚽️ Goal! Mofokeng cooly slots away inside the box, thanks to a wonderful through ball from Appollis. Eritrea 0-1 South Africa.
11′ ⚽️ Forced substitution. Aubaas pulls a muscle and his replaced by Poggenpoel for his official debut in a competitive match.
10′ ⚽️ Shot against the post! Mofokeng with an electric shot with his left foot but his denied by the post.
5′ ⚽️ Big miss! Eritrea find a loose ball in the box but Yohannes shoots wide.
4′ ⚽️ Bafana attack! Makhanya’s long diagonal finds Sebelebele in the box but his first touch is too heavy.
2′ ⚽️ First shot! Eritrea launch a fast counter attacker. Suleman’s shot forces a corner from Williams.
1′ ⚽️ We’re underway in Cairo!
STARTING LINE UPS
Eritrea: Yonathan Sultan (1), Hennos Asmelash (16), Jozef Misghina (33), Namrud Embaye (14), Jonas Idris (3), Ablelom Teklezghi (8), Tesfaldet Tekie (9), Nahom Netabay (20), Esrom Yohannes (12), Filmon Gerezgiher (7), Ali Suleman (10)
Substitutes: Malik Abdurahman, Yoel Kebreab, Mussie Beraky, Yonathan Sebhatu, Nahom Tadese, Yoel Gerezgiher, Yoel Yilma, Yonael Yonas, Awet Isaac, Awet Alemseged, Fahmi Ibrahim, Maiil Lundgren, Nobel Gebrezghi, Romel Abdu.
South Africa: Williams (c), Okon, Makhanya, Kabini, Sebelebele, Sithole, Aubaas, Mofokeng, Appollis, Maseko, Rayners.
Substitutes: Chaine, Mbuthuma, Matuludi, Morena, Singh, Seema, Ndamane, Basadien, Mailula, Poggenpoel, Zwane.
Bafana Bafana are in Cairo, Egypt, for their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match after opening their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea at the Orlando Amstel Arena.
The Group D fixture is taking place at Cairo’s Al Salam Stadium at 18:00, with Eritrea unable to host the match at home because their current stadiums do not meet the requirements for international fixtures.
South Africa are without injured duo Teboho Mokoena and Aubrey Modiba, while Eritrea arrive with confidence after holding Kenya to a 1-1 draw in Nairobi. Nahom Girmai Netabay gave the Red Sea Camels an early lead before the hosts found an equaliser.
ERITREA AIM TO CAUSE ANOTHER SURPRISE
Could Eritrea cause another surprise against Bafana Bafana?
Eritrea are coached by Egyptian Hesham Yakan and have several diaspora-based players in their squad. Among them are Sheffield United defender Siem Eyob-Abraha and forward Ali Sulieman.
BAFANA BAFANA CANNOT AFFORD TO UNDERESTIMATE ERITREA
Despite Bafana Bafana’s much higher FIFA ranking, Pitso Mosimane’s side cannot afford to underestimate their opponents.
For Mosimane and Bafana Bafana, the objective is straightforward: secure three points in Cairo and take another step towards qualification for AFCON 2027. Catch the match live on SABC.
