South Africa Aims to Upset Top-Ranked Morocco in AFCON Round of 16 Clash

"This is an important match for both teams. Playing against Morocco is not easy. They have high-level players. It will be complicated. It is certain that the Africa Cup of Nations has many surprises in store for us. Important teams have been eliminated. Therefore, we can expect anything," said Hugo Broos at the pre-match press conference.

The coach of the South African team believes that the Moroccan team is beatable and hopes for a victory at the final whistle. "We have already beaten Morocco last June. We want to repeat this feat, but to achieve this, we must reach a high level and create many scoring opportunities... The important thing is to qualify for the quarter-finals," he said.

And he added: "If we start the match with the same state of mind as in the previous matches, we will be able to create the surprise." Considering the intense heat, Broos insisted that his team will do everything possible not to go beyond regulation time, specifying that "if we go into extra time, it will be complicated."

Morocco secured their ticket for the round of 16, after two wins against Tanzania (3-0) and Zambia (1-0) and a draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo (1-1), finishing first in Group F with 7 points. For its part, South Africa finished second in Group E with four points, behind Mali (5 points).