Football: Bafana Bafana defeat Ghana 1-0 in final warm-up match ahead of AFCON 2025
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
South Africa head to AFCON 2025 following victory in Soweto
In front of a massive crowd at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto on the Day of Reconciliation in Mzansi, Bafana Bafana gave their fans another reason for optimism around their chances at the highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations 2025.
South Africa claimed a 1-0 victory over Ghana in their final preparation match before jetting off to Morocco for the continental showpiece that gets underway this week, and we will be covering every match at the tournament in our AFCON 2025 predictions.
Hugo Broos opted to hand starts to several of his fringe players against the Black Galaxies, with the likes of skipper Ronwen Williams, Oswin Appolis, Teboho Mokwena, Khuliso Mudau and Mbekezeli Mbozaki all starting the match on the bench.
With Lyle Foster having only departed his club side Burnley over the weekend, Evidence Makgopa was entrusted to lead the line, while Thabang Matuludi received his national team debut, and Tshepang Moremi donned the captain’s armband in Williams’ absence.
The defining moment of the match came just before the hour mark, when Orlando Pirates' Sipho Mbule, who was by far Bafana Bafana’s standout performer of the day, struck a stunning shot from the edge of the box beyond Lawrence Osei in Ghana’s goal.
The Black Galaxies responded impressively, with Prince Owusu and Rudolph Mensah both creating opportunities to level proceedings but stuck their efforts wide, while Sipho Chaine pulled off an excellent save five minutes before the final whistle to secure the result.
Victory over Ghana crucial after tough week for Bafana Bafana
While the victory over the Black Galaxies helped South Africa build momentum ahead of the AFCON, it was arguably more necessary to help lift the spirits around the camp after a testing week, both on and off the pitch.
Broos found himself at the centre of a controversial situation in recent days due to accusations of racism and sexism relating to defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who missed his flight to join the camp on Monday, and his agent, Basia Michaels.
Additionally, skipper Ronwen Williams also confirmed that the team had faced several disruptions, largely owing to the unavailability of three overseas players, stemming from their clubs only releasing them for national duty at the end of the weekend.
Burnley’s Lyle Foster, along with Sphephelo Sithole and young Shandre Campbell, were the trio in question, and it is understood that the South African Football Association has instructed them to head directly to Morocco to join the rest of the squad on Thursday.
