South Africa defeated Uganda 2-0 in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying Group K match at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala on Friday.
The win lifted Bafana Bafana to the top of the group standings, with their final qualifier against South Sudan in Cape Town on Tuesday to secure their place in the finals.
Uganda, now second in the group, have also qualified for AFCON and will look to bounce back when they face Congo in Brazzaville on Tuesday.
The match was a scrappy affair early on, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances in the first 15 minutes. Most of the play was concentrated in midfield, with neither side gaining dominance.
South Africa began to take control, and in the 26th minute, Uganda’s goalkeeper Ismail Watenga was forced to come out and gather an attempted through pass from Aubrey Modiba for Elias Mokwana. The first half ended 0-0.
At the break, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos made a key substitution, bringing on Thapelo Morena for Mokwana. The change paid off almost immediately when Morena capitalized on a poor back-pass to open the scoring in the 49th minute.
Broos’ substitutions continued to make an impact, with Patrick Maswanganyi adding a second goal in the 89th minute, set up by Iqraam Rayners, to seal a 2-0 victory for South Africa.
