South Africa opened their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 2-1 win over Angola, thanks to a decisive late goal from Lyle Foster.
The match started at a high tempo, with both sides creating early chances. South Africa struck first in the 20th minute through Oswin Appollis, who finished calmly from inside the box. Angola responded strongly and restored parity just before the break when Show converted a well-taken free kick, leaving the teams level at halftime after an intense opening period that also saw several yellow cards.
The second half produced drama and momentum swings. South Africa thought they had regained the lead early on, but an offside decision ruled out Tshepang Moremi’s effort. As Angola pushed for control, the hosts continued to create chances, hitting the post and forcing saves from the goalkeeper. The breakthrough finally came in the 78th minute when Lyle Foster unleashed a powerful long-range shot to put South Africa back in front.
Despite late pressure and multiple substitutions by Angola in search of another equaliser, South Africa held firm through added time to close out the win.
The result gives Bafana Bafana a positive start to their AFCON group stage, while Angola are left to regroup ahead of their next fixture.
