By Mark Ogagan
South Africa secured their place in the next round of the 2025 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers with a commanding 3-1 victory over Egypt in Ismailia on Sunday night, sealing a 4-2 aggregate win .
The Bafana Bafana put on a dominant display in the second leg, outclassing the Pharaohs in front of their home crowd.
Goals from Neo Maema, Yandisa Mfolozi, and Siphelele Luthuli ensured a comfortable victory for the visitors, while Egypt struggled to match their intensity.
The match began with South Africa on the front foot, as they wasted no time asserting their dominance. In the 15th minute, Neo Maema broke the deadlock, silencing the home fans with a well-taken goal.
Just over 10 minutes later, Yandisa Mfolozi doubled the lead in the 26th minute, putting Egypt in a precarious position. The hosts responded before halftime, pulling one back to make it 2-1, but they failed to build on that momentum.
Any hopes of an Egyptian comeback were dashed five minutes into the second half when Siphelele Luthuli converted a penalty to restore South Africa’s two-goal cushion.
The visitors then managed the game efficiently, preventing Egypt from creating any clear-cut chances.
With the first leg in Bloemfontein having ended 1-1, South Africa’s comprehensive performance in Cairo ensured a 4-2 aggregate victory, eliminating the Pharaohs and securing their place in the final round, where they will now face Malawi.
Meanwhile, Gabon’s hopes of progressing were dashed as they suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Gambia after a goalless draw in Libreville on Saturday.
Despite dominating the second-leg match of the second qualification stage and creating numerous scoring chances, the Panthers failed to find the net, ultimately paying the price in the shootout.
The decisive moment came in the 78th minute when Gabon was awarded a penalty, but Samson Mbingui failed to convert, leaving the Scorpions with a lifeline.
With the match still deadlocked at 0-0 after regulation time, the contest went to a penalty shootout, where Gambia kept their composure to secure victory and advance to the next round.
The Scorpions converted all their attempts, while Gabon’s Nasta Oyono missed his shot, sending his effort wide and sealing his team’s elimination.
Elsewhere, Malawi advanced thanks to their 2-0 home win over Comoros to seal a 4-0 aggregate victory.
Wongani Lungu opened in the scoring for the home side in the 50th minute before Binwell Katinji’s strike on the hour mark secured the win.
The last round of qualifiers will be played in May with the first leg will taking place between May 2-4, while the return leg fixtures are scheduled for May 10-11.
The final tournament will be played in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will host in August.
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