South Africa revived a painful memory for Egypt by beating the Pharaohs 1-0 in Cairo, seven years after inflicting a similar defeat on them at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Bosu Dethigan scored the only goal in Sunday’s friendly at Cairo International Stadium, with his effort coming in the 51st minute after a costly mistake by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.
The result gave South Africa another victory over Egypt on Egyptian soil and brought back memories of the Pharaohs’ 1-0 defeat against the same opponents in the last-16 of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Egypt had entered the match after a convincing 5-0 victory over South Sudan in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The meeting with South Africa was the final game of the Pharaohs’ training camp during the current international break.
The latest defeat also extended South Africa’s record against Egypt in Cairo. The Pharaohs have now lost three times to Bafana Bafana on home soil in the history of their meetings.
The first of those defeats came on 14 January 2006, when South Africa won 2-1 in a friendly in Cairo. Egypt responded later that year with a 1-0 victory over South Africa on 15 November.
South Africa then returned to Cairo on 6 July 2019 and secured a 1-0 win in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16. The result ended Egypt’s campaign in a tournament they were hosting.
Thembinkosi Lorch scored the decisive goal that night in the 85th minute, creating a memory that remained associated with South Africa’s visits to the Egyptian capital.
Egypt had previously managed to beat South Africa 1-0 in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite that result, the Pharaohs suffered another defeat when the teams met again in Cairo.
Sunday’s 1-0 loss means South Africa have now recorded eight victories in the 14 meetings between the two sides, according to the available record. Egypt have won five of those encounters, while one match has ended in a draw.
The latest meeting therefore leaves South Africa ahead in the overall head-to-head record, while Egypt will have to reflect on a second defeat by the same scoreline against Bafana Bafana in Cairo.
The loss came only days after Egypt’s emphatic 5-0 victory over South Sudan in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
For South Africa, the victory provided another successful result against Egypt in the Egyptian capital, while for the Pharaohs it ended their international-break camp with a disappointing defeat.
