READ: Bafana beat Guinea to claim first in at CHAN

South Africa secured their first win in the African Nations Championship following their 2-1 victory over Guinea at the Mandela National Stadium on Monday.

The win sees them remain in third place in the Group C standings with four points from their first two matches.

Molefi Ntseki’s men will look to continue their winning ways when they face Niger at the Mandela National Stadium on Friday evening.

“You can tell how difficult it was, and how tough it was. But at the end of the day, Guinea played the game, and we scored the goals. And what is important for us was to score the goals and win the game. We are very pleased with the result, but there is still a lot of work that we need to do going into the next match (against Niger),” Ntseki said.

“As for Guinea, I think they came at us after we scored the first goal, which was a beautiful goal and worked out in line with our preparations. I also think the recovery period was a bit short for us (after facing Algeria on Friday), especially when you look into the intensity of the last game we played. Guinea also played on the same day (on Friday), and they lost 3-0. From our side, when it comes to our physical recovery and game preparation, we will look deeper into our readiness (ahead of the next game against Niger).

“Our physical conditioning coach and our medical team will have to work on the players so that they are fresher and more focused after winning against such a difficult and tough team. They really made us run. In terms of the kilometres that were covered by our team defensively, I think it was more than 12 kilometres.”

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Despite Guinea’s dominance in the opening exchanges of the game, Bafana broke the deadlock in the 10th minute when Neo Maema slotted the ball into the net from inside the area.

🏆 ℂℍ𝔸ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆

⚽️ ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Bafana Bafana are currently leading against Guinea!

🇿🇦 1⃣➖0⃣ 🇬🇳

🚨 LIVE
🌐 https://t.co/6w7uXXP0Wm#SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesCHAN2024 pic.twitter.com/0Q0k4o93c4

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) August 11, 2025

Guinea hit back and found the equalising goal in the 37th minute after Mohamed Bangoura picked out Moise Camara, who rifled the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-1.

🏆 ℂℍ𝔸ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆

⚽️ ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Guinea have equalized against Bafana Bafana!

🇿🇦 1⃣➖1⃣ 🇬🇳

🚨 LIVE
🌐 https://t.co/6w7uXXP0Wm#SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesCHAN2024 pic.twitter.com/UpVLN1rAJp

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) August 11, 2025

South Africa restored their lead in the 53rd minute when Wayde Jooste accurately picked out Thabiso Kutumela to slot the ball into the bottom corner.

🏆 ℂℍ𝔸ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆

⚽️ ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Bafana Bafana restore their lead!

🇿🇦 2⃣➖1⃣ 🇬🇳

🚨 LIVE
🌐 https://t.co/6w7uXXP0Wm#SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesCHAN2024 pic.twitter.com/CSWaK6AIe0

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) August 11, 2025

South Africa held on to the final whistle to secure the victory and claim all three points after beating Guinea 2-1 at the Mandela National Stadium.

FT: And so it ends at the Mandela National Stadium!!! pic.twitter.com/0jk40a2SjH

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) August 11, 2025

Molefi Ntseki’s men will look to continue their winning ways when they face Niger at the Mandela National Stadium on Friday evening.

The post Bafana beat Guinea to claim first in at CHAN appeared first on SportsClub.

A free kick put the Teranga Lions ahead, and Iliman Ndiaye scored a beautiful low goal in the last minute to seal the win.

It was clear from the start that Guinea would make it through. They came in third place after Cameroon beat The Gambia 3-2.

Senegal is the only team with a perfect record that made it out of the group stage.

On Monday, Aliou Cisse’s team will stay in Yamoussoukro and play a third-placed team from Group A or F in the round of 16. On Sunday, in Abidjan, Guinea will play the winners of Group A.

The Syli National finished third in Group B, two points behind Cameroon in terms of goals scored. With four points, they eliminated four-time continental champions Ghana, who finished third in Group B with two points.

Guinea was guaranteed to make it to the next round as at least one of the four best third-placed teams after Monday’s games. Their manager, Kaba Diawara, made seven changes to give his players a break before the knockout stages.

Both teams were excited for this West African derby, but neither team was able to get a shot on target in the first half as they struggled to find gaps. Senegal had a strong team.

An early challenge from Nampalys Mendy on Guinea’s Ilaix Moriba led to a fight between the players. The first real chance of the game came when Mendy hit the ball hard and it went over the bar off the head of Mohamed Ali Camara.

Even though Guinea played tough, they couldn’t find a way for star striker Serhou Guirassy to score. He was making his first tournament appearance after being hurt, and he couldn’t beat Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly.

At the very end of the first half, the holders asked for a penalty because star forward Sadio Mane had fallen after a fight with Saidou Sow, but referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana showed no red card.

In the last few seconds of the first half, Ismail Jakobs started a fight between both sets of substitutes benches after pushing Guinea captain Naby Keita to the ground. This meant that the Burundian referee had to do some work.

Mane missed a great chance to score the first goal early in the second half, when the goal was wide open.

At the near post, the 31-year-old did the hard work by timing his run well and getting around Guinea custodian Ibrahim Kone. However, his shot missed the target and went wide.

They did what they needed to do to win, though, even though Mane missed the goal.

Krepin Diatta sent a precise free kick that Seck headed powerfully into the net. The goal in the 61st minute was the first shot on goal in the game.

After Mane’s well-weighted pass, Ndiaye sealed the win by slotting the ball across goal and into the bottom left corner of the net. It was an old player for Sheffield United.

It was still possible for Senegal’s goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to make a great diving save on Guinea’s best chance of the game, a volley by Morgan Guilavogui.

While Cisse’s team didn’t put on their best show, they did well against a physically strong Guinea team after beating The Gambia and Cameroon easily in their first two group games.

For the first time since Egypt won their third straight Afcon in 2010, Senegal is still on track to become the first team to defend their title. Guinea, on the other hand, will be looking to make it to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015.

Photo by Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

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In the capital of Ivory Coast, Yamoussoukro, Camara, a midfielder who plays club football in Greece, scored the game-winning goal in the second half after Morgan Guilavogui set him up.

Even though they were missing star striker Serhou Guirassy, Guinea was the more dangerous team. This was also true for their first game, a 1-1 draw with Cameroon.

Guinea’s attack was led by Mohamed Bayo without Guirassy, and he hit the post in the first half for a team that wants to make it to the next round of the Cup of Nations for the third year in a row.

With four points, they are now second in their group, two points behind the defending champions Senegal, who beat Cameroon 3-1 earlier to book their spot in the next round.

Guinea only needs a tie against Senegal in their next game on Tuesday to make it to the round of 16, but a win would send them there as the group winners.

Gambia made it to the quarterfinals by surprise two years ago. They don’t have any points now, but if they beat Cameroon in their last game, they could still move on as one of the best third-place teams.

Photo by Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

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Guinea took the lead through Mohamed Bayo, and shortly before halftime, captain Francois Kamano was sent off. Frank Magri tied the score early in the second half, but Cameroon was unable to score the winning goal.

Day three’s valiant performance by Guinea came after a run of shocking outcomes on Sunday, including Equatorial Guinea’s draw with Nigeria, Cape Verde’s victory over Ghana, and Mozambique’s draw with Egypt.

Senegal, the current champions, defeated Gambia 3-0 earlier on Monday thanks to two goals from Lamine Camara. The losing team also saw a player sent off late in the first half.

Even though Andre Onana of Manchester United arrived in the Ivorian capital just a few hours before kickoff, Cameroon did not include him in the matchday 23 lineup.

Onana postponed his arrival in order to participate for United in Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw at Old Trafford against Tottenham Hotspur.

Fabrice Ondoa was selected by coach Rigobert Song to start in goal, with Devis Epassy and Simon Ngapandouetnbu as backup goalies.

In addition to missing out on a chance to win a sixth title and their second in four editions, Cameroon was also without their top forward and top scorer from the 2022 Cup of Nations, Vincent Aboubakar, due to a thigh injury.

Serhou Guirassy, who has scored 17 goals for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga this season, was ruled out due to a knee injury, which dealt a severe blow to Guinea prior to the game.

When Guirassy was not present, Bayo led the attack and gave the national elephants, or Syli National, a surprising lead after ten minutes.

Ondoa stopped his initial attempt at goal, but Cameroon was unable to clear the ball, and when it returned to him, Bayo hammered it into the goal.

Cameroon then enjoyed a lot of possession but failed to put Guinean custodian Ibrahima Kone through any real problems.

Sekou Sylla, displaying courage, nearly scored during a counterattack for Guinea when he hit a long-range shot that forced Ondoa to make a hasty retreat before it hit the net’s roof.

After Kamano’s first yellow card was changed to a red for a foul on Magri by the Egyptian referee, Guinea suffered a severe blow in first-half added time.

After viewing the play on the touchline VAR monitor and witnessing Kamano stamp his opponent’s heel from behind, the match official changed his mind.

Cameroon exerted pressure early in the second half, and on minute 51, Magri equalised the score with a far-post header over Kone following a pinpoint cross from Georges-Kevin Nkoudou.

As the end of regulation time drew near, Kone saved Guinea by parrying Karl Toko Ekambi’s close-range shot and then grabbing the ball.

The players, who had to deal with 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) of heat when the match began in the central city, were helped by water breaks in both halves.

Guinea takes on Gambia in a doubleheader at Yamoussoukro on Friday, while Cameroon plays Senegal in the second series of group matches.

Photo by Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

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South Africa have been drawn in Group E alongside the likes of Tunisia, Mali and Namibia.

The group winners and runners-up and the four highest-ranked third-placed teams qualify for the knockout stage of the competition.

The tournament is scheduled to kick off on January 13 and ends on February 11, with matches at six stadiums in five cities.

Africa Cup of Nations group Stage draw:

Group A: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau

Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique

Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia

Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola

Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia

Group F: Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tanzania

Photo by Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

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The 26-year-old was given 46 minutes on the field during Bafana’s goalless draw with Guinea in their first friendly during the Fifa international break in Belgium.

Sibisi will now be hoping to earn another place in the starting lineup when they take on France in their second and final friendly match played at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve d’Ascq on Tuesday.

The Arrows defender insists he will play to his strengths if he is given another chance to showcase his talent when they take on the world champions.

“This is an honour and is in line with my career and the plans I have for myself, the club I represent and my family,” Sibisi told Safa.

“I always take a step back and observe. This is national level, and at club level as captain, the playing fields are very different. Rooming with Rushine De Reuck assists in getting into the zone, we learn from each other and share our visions and dreams of what we want to do on the pitch.

“Guinea did well in the Africa Cup of Nations and they have a great squad. They are very physical, while the French are more technically superior, and we are not going to have it easy out there.

“I bring speed, I read the game well and I am aggressive when need be, and I really think that is what caught coach Hugo Broos’ eye.”

Bafana Bafana are scheduled to take on France in Lille on Tuesday with kick-off set for 9:15pm.

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The Belgian coach named a much-changed lineup for the clash, with only two players keeping their place from their last match against Ghana.

The South Africans produced a dominant display despite the changes and had several golden chances to get the winner, but wasteful finishing let them down.

Speaking after the game, Broos felt his team played well and that his side looked like the only team who could win the game.

“It was a good performance and in these two friendly games the result was not too important,” Broos said.

“I think my team played a very good game where I think we had six or seven clear chances. If there was a team that was likely to win it would be South Africa.

“We encountered a bit of a problem with the length of the Guniea players in the aerial duels, but I think we played a good game overall.

“Again, I think we played a very good game.”

Bafana are next in action against world champions France at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Tuesday.

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The South African national team showed some positive signs throughout the clash, but ultimately couldn’t hit the kill switch despite having numerous chances in front of goal.

Watch the highlights here:

The post Highlights: Bafana lack cutting edge in goalless draw with Guinea appeared first on SportsClub.

In a much-changed line-up Khuliso Mudau and Bandile Shandu were handed debuts, while Veli Mothwa, Lyle Foster and Thabang Monare were all recalled back into the team.

The South Africans started on the front foot as they looked to press Guinea high up the field forcing them into several errors.

They, however, were being let off the hook by some wasteful finishing from Hugo Broos’ men. First it was Monare who twice disposed the defender before breaking into the box, but his tame effort was no threat to the keeper.

Then Foster had three chances in a short space of time, fist after he won the ball off the last man and went through one-on-one and then when he was set up by Shandu but he couldn’t find the finish on as frustration began to mount.

Bafana then had another glorious chance on the stroke of the interval as Terrence Mashego slipped Dolly in behind after an excellent diagonal by Siyanda Xulu, but the Kaizer Chiefs forward chipped his effort straight to the keeper.

Bafana came out with the same intention in the second half but again were facing the same issues in front of goal this time it was Shandu who couldn’t hit the target after being set up by Foster in the 59th minute.

Despite Broos’ team continuing to apply pressure, Guinea were putting up a fight and had a couple of sniffs from set plays but still couldn’t threaten Mothwa.

Bafana continue to search for the winner but it wasn’t coming as they were forced to settle for a draw despite a number of chances to grab the win.

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