AGADIR: Mohamed Salah scored as 10-man Egypt beat South Africa 1-0 in Agadir on Friday to become the first qualifiers for the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The Liverpool star converted a penalty on 45 minutes, and South Africa were denied a spot-kick late in the second half when Yasser Ibrahim appeared to handle the ball inside the box. Salah came to Morocco after not starting in five Liverpool matches — his omission leading to an outburst against manager Arne Slot.

Record winners Egypt, led by Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, face South Africa in the first titanic battle of the tournament.

Mohamed Salah scored a first-half penalty as 10-man Egypt defeated South Africa 1-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations Group B clash to become the first team into the knockout stages