Pitso Mosimane extends winning record against Hossam Hassan as South Africa stun Egypt

Pitso Mosimane maintained his perfect record against Hossam Hassan as South Africa beat Egypt 1-0 in a friendly at Cairo Stadium on Sunday.

Egypt controlled much of the match and enjoyed the greater share of possession, but South Africa’s disciplined defensive shape and counter-attacking approach proved decisive. The visitors absorbed sustained pressure before scoring the only goal against the run of play.

South Africa took the lead six minutes after half-time when Bousso Dithigani finished a swift counter-attack. The move began with a long ball behind the Egypt defence, prompting an ill-judged advance from goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. Dithigani was left with a straightforward opportunity and calmly put the ball into the net.

Egypt increased the pressure in the second half as they searched for an equaliser. Substitute Hamza Abdelkarim was particularly influential after coming on, immediately adding energy to the Pharaohs’ attack and creating problems for the South African defence.

The hosts came closest to scoring in the 71st minute. Abdelkarim met a cross with a powerful header, but goalkeeper Ricardo produced an excellent save to preserve South Africa’s advantage.

Egypt had another clear chance in the final seconds when Ibrahim Adel struck the crossbar from inside the penalty area. South Africa were unsettled after a corner, but the rebound ended with the visitors’ goal frame denying Egypt.

Despite controlling possession and applying consistent attacking pressure, Egypt could not find a way through. South Africa held on to secure a narrow victory that underlined their ability to punish defensive mistakes.

The result also extended Mosimane’s advantage over Hassan. The two coaches had previously met three times, when Mosimane was in charge of Al Ahly and Hassan managed Al Ittihad Al Sakandary. Mosimane won each of those encounters, meaning he has now recorded four victories in four meetings with Hassan.

The friendly formed part of both teams’ preparations for their upcoming commitments.

Egypt collected four points from their opening two competitive matches in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. They drew 0-0 with Angola before recording a 5-0 victory over South Sudan.

The last competitive meeting between Egypt and South Africa came in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, when Egypt won 1-0.