Mofokeng scores twice as South Africa put five past Eritrea

Relebohile Mofokeng scored his first two goals for South Africa as they beat Eritrea 5-0 in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Wednesday. The matchday two result in Cairo put South Africa five points clear of Kenya and Eritrea in Group D.

Yaya Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh also scored for South Africa. Eritrea hosted the fixture in Egypt because they do not have an international-standard stadium.

Eritrea start brightly before Mofokeng strikes

Although they were 134 places below South Africa in the world rankings, Eritrea attacked from the start and tested South Africa captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Willians several times.

Mofokeng broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, shifting control of the match towards South Africa. The 21-year-old Belgium-based midfielder scored again at the end of the first half, giving his side a 2-0 lead at the interval.

The match was played at the near-deserted, 30,000-seat Al Salam Stadium in the Egyptian capital. South Africa went into half-time with a two-goal advantage.

South Africa add three after the break

Sithole extended the lead early in the second half before Rayners made it four. Rayners slammed the ball across Eritrea goalkeeper Yonathan Sultan, becoming the first South Africa forward to score in six matches.

Substitute Singh completed the scoring four minutes into added time. South Africa’s five-goal margin fell just short of their record Afcon qualifying victory, a 6-0 win against the Seychelles.

Mofokeng’s two goals were his first for South Africa, while Sithole, Rayners and Singh each contributed to the final score. Eritrea’s early attacking approach was not enough to prevent South Africa from taking command after the opening goal.

Group D qualification picture

South Africa now have a five-point lead over both Kenya and Eritrea, while Guinea have yet to earn a point. Guinea can cut the gap to South Africa to three points if they beat Kenya in Conakry on Thursday.

Kenya qualify automatically from the group as Africa Cup of Nations co-hosts alongside Tanzania and Uganda. That leaves South Africa, Eritrea and Guinea competing for the one remaining qualifying place from Group D.