Disappointment filled the air as Morocco's aspirations for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title abruptly ended with a 2-0 defeat to South Africa in Tuesday's round of 16 clash. The spirited Bafana Bafana secured their progression to the quarterfinals with goals in the 57th and 90+5th minute. The encounter initially started with both sides cautiously probing each other, resulting in a goalless first half. Morocco created the first significant scoring opportunity but was left rueing a disallowed goal from Noussair Mazraoui due to an offside call. This setback seemed to jolt the South Africans into action, and they took the lead just past the hour mark through a clinical finish by Evidence Makgopa of Orlando Pirates. Despite dominating possession (54%) and attempting more shots (13), the Atlas Lions struggled to find their rhythm in attack. Only two of their efforts hit the target, failing to truly test the South African goalkeeper. Despite winning a penalty, Morocco couldn't capitalize on it as Achraf Hakimi's shot went wide. Meanwhile, the Bafana Bafana remained defensively solid and capitalized on their rare chances, scoring their second goal through a foul converted by Teboho Mokoena after Sofiane Amrabat's red card in extra time. The absence of key players like Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal due to injuries undoubtedly had an impact. This defeat marks another missed opportunity for Morocco to add to their solitary Afcon title, won way back in 1976. Their most recent final appearance came in 2004, where they fell short against Tunisia.
