South Africa are through to the final round of qualifying for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) after Sunday's commanding 3-1 second leg victory over Egypt in Ismailia.
A disappointing 1-1 first leg draw at home for Bafana Bafana was quickly erased from memory after a strong start effectively put the tie to bed before a half hour was gone.
Neo Maema nearly scored in the 4th minute and remained a constant threat. The Mamelodi Sundowns attacker broke the deadlock in the 15th minute, reacting quickest to fire in after Victor Letsoalo flicked up an early cross. Maema was the most notable player and came inches away from adding another goal in the 24th minute when his shot once again struck the left post.
The Egyptian selection was composed mostly of second division players and rarely used top division Nile League players, something that was clear throughout the match. In the 27th minute, Bafana doubled their lead when Yandisa Mfolozi capitalized on a pass that evaded Egypt’s goalkeeper to finish into the net.
Egypt finally responded in the 32nd minute when Mohamed El-Sayed "Sheka" found the back of the net after converting a cross from teammate Abdallah El-Sayed. In the second half, South Africa extended their lead in the 51st minute through Siphelele Luthuli who successfully converted a penalty to make it 3-1 after Letsoalo was fouled.
this result, South Africa advances to the final qualifying round where they will face Malawi, who eliminated Comoros with a 4-0 aggregate victory in this round. The two teams will battle over two legs in May, with the winner securing a spot at the 2024 CHAN finals which will be hosted in August by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
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