Bafana vs Egypt controversial pen: Disappointed South Africa players open up after AFCON loss

A controversial penalty converted by Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was all Egypt needed to beat Bafana Bafana in Group B’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) outing.

The 1996 winners thought they have got one late in the match when Yasser Ibrahim seemingly handled the ball in the 18 yard area. Despite a lengthy VAR review, the referee, surprisingly, let the Pharaohs off the hook.

While Egypt have made it to the knockout phase, Bafana Bafana players were left nursing their wounds. Have a look at their reactions.

We take the lessons – Ronwen Williams

“We are disappointed. The objective in the game was not to lose. We wanted to win or at least get a point to secure qualification, but it wasn’t to be,” he told the media.

“We feel a bit hard done by because of the decisions made on the field. We feel it was a soft penalty, and obviously when you look at what happened on the other side towards the end, we should have got a penalty.

“But that is how football is. We take the lessons and the good things and move on, continuing to believe in this team. We knew they would sit deep because they were a man down. They were just defending their box. We created a few half-chances and some decent chances, but it wasn’t to be,” Williams continued.

“We knew they would sit deep and not give us space in behind, and that is what we look for. There are a lot of lessons to take and we will grow from this. The performance was amazing. They came with a different approach and we didn’t expect a back five. They also put a lot of numbers in midfield, so the first 10 minutes were about adjusting.

“The fight and the never-say-die attitude were there. We left everything on the field, we just couldn’t get the goal. I am proud of these boys. We showed we can compete against the best. Now it’s about looking forward to the next game on Monday. We will definitely qualify,” he concluded.

It wasn’t a penalty – Khuliso Mudau

Mudau's flailing hand makes contact with Salah's face 👀👇

Do you agree with the referee's decision? 🤔💭

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“I don’t think it was a penalty for Egypt. The referee gave it, and there is nothing we can do. We just need to focus on the next game.

“We didn’t have luck. We did everything to score but couldn’t. We just need to focus on the next one. There are positives to take, everyone was willing to help the team.

“We missed a lot of chances. If we make sure we take our chances, we will improve as a team,” Mudau stated in his post-match interview.

It was just not a good day – Thalente Mbatha

“We went looking for the win in the second half, so for us it was about putting more attacks together and trying to secure a goal. The coach tried everything, it was just not a good day for us,” the Orlando Pirates midfielder said in a presser.

“It is frustrating because we believed it was a free-kick or a penalty for us. The referee went to the screen to check if it was a free-kick or a penalty, but we don’t know what to say. At the end of the day, his word is final.

“We must come back stronger and get a win on Monday. It is a matter of being confident and believing in our abilities. We do have the quality, but we must be sharper and wiser,” Mbatha concluded.