South Africa began its 2027 AFCON qualifiers with a 2-1 victory over Guinea on Saturday, September 26, in Soweto. Ime Okon and Samukele Kabini scored for the Bafana Bafana, giving Pitso Mosimane a win in his return to the bench.
The South Africans took the lead in the 30th minute. After an initial header was cleared in the penalty area, Ime Okon recovered the ball and beat the Guinean goalkeeper at the near post. The African Football Confederation confirms the course of the match played at Orlando Stadium.
Guinea, led in attack by Serhou Guirassy, responded after the break. In the 69th minute, Seydouba Cissé recovered the ball after a free kick was blocked by the South African wall, before beating Ronwen Williams and bringing the Syli National back to 1-1.
The equalizer lasted only eight minutes. Coming on after Aubrey Modiba’s injury, Samukele Kabini took advantage of a pass from Yanela Mbuthuma to score with a left-footed strike in the 77th minute. The Molde defender thus scored his first goal for the national team and sealed the South African victory. The report from FARPost cross-references the scorers and the timeline.
An important success in Group D
These three points place South Africa at the top of Group D. In the other match, Kenya and Eritrea drew 1-1 in Nairobi. As co-host, Kenya has already qualified for the final phase along with Tanzania and Uganda: among South Africa, Guinea, and Eritrea, only the highest-ranked team will secure the remaining spot.
The victory thus takes on a special significance against Guinea, one of Bafana Bafana’s main competitors. It also marks the successful debut of Pitso Mosimane’s new tenure as head of the national team. The Guinean defeat and the three goal scorers are also reported by Guinee28.
South Africa will face Eritrea on September 30 in Cairo, on neutral ground. Guinea will host Kenya on October 1.
