Morocco and South Africa Face Off in Crucial AFCON Round of 16 Match

Who between Morocco and South Africa will validate their ticket for the AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023 quarter-finals to continue the adventure? The two teams have already faced each other eight times. The Atlas Lions have won two matches, during the AFCON Egypt 2019 (score 1-0) and the AFCON Côte d’Ivoire qualifiers on September 9, 2022 in Rabat (2-1), while the Banafa banafa have won three. The two teams drew three times, in Tunisia during the 2004 AFCON (1-1), in South Africa during the 2013 AFCON (2-2) and in Agadir during a friendly match in October of the same year.

Their first meeting dates back to the 1998 AFCON in Burkina Faso. The Banafa banafa had eliminated the Atlas Lions from the competition in the quarter-finals with a score of 2-1. The South Africans also won the second match between the two teams during the group stage of the 2002 AFCON in Mali (3-1). They also beat the Atlas Lions in June 2023 in Johannesburg (2-1), as part of the qualifications for the AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023.

Given the history of the confrontations between the two teams, the next match promises to be a clash. "We’ve come up against a big opponent, but we beat Morocco last year, so that means it’s possible," said Hugo Broos, the South African national team coach, in a press conference. On the Moroccan side, the Atlas Lions are showing their determination. "We are not thinking about our last defeat against South Africa, it is another competition and our goal is to qualify for the next round. We are looking to get the victory against the South African team and I will support the players whether I am on the field or on the bench," promised Moroccan striker Tarik Tissoudali.