Uganda Cranes were left heartbroken after a dramatic late equaliser from South Africa forced a 2-2 draw in their opening match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers.
The game, played on Friday evening at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, saw Uganda come close to claiming their first-ever victory over South Africa, only for Thalante Mbatha to score deep into added time to preserve South Africa’s unbeaten record against the Cranes.
The match began with South Africa exerting early pressure, resulting in Lyle Foster finding the back of the net in the 15th minute to put Bafana Bafana ahead.
Uganda struggled to gain control in the first half and headed into the break trailing 1-0.
However, the Uganda Cranes came out firing in the second half, turning the game around in a remarkable fashion.
Kitara forward Denis Omedi stunned the home crowd with a thunderous long-range shot to equalise in the 51st minute.
Just two minutes later, Rogers Mato, who plies his trade at AP Brera in Macedonia, took advantage of a mistake by South Africa’s goalkeeper to give Uganda a 2-1 lead.
For a moment, South Africa didn’t know what hit them and Uganda looked poised to secure a famous victory.
However, South Africa regained momentum in the final stages of the game. Bafana Bafana pressed for an equaliser and came close when Teboho Mokoena’s free kick narrowly missed the target in the 80th minute.
With six minutes added at the end of regulation time, Thalante Mbatha found the equaliser, his shot bouncing in off the post to break Ugandan hearts.
The result means both teams now sit on one point in Group K, trailing behind Congo, who secured a 1-0 victory over South Sudan yesterday.
Uganda will now travel back home tomorrow, and prepare to host group leaders Congo at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, on Monday, September 9.
Meanwhile, South Africa will be enroute to South Sudan, who they play on Tuesday, September 10 in Juba.
Despite the disappointment of conceding so late, the Cranes will take pride in their performance, especially given their historic struggles against South Africa.
The draw marks only the second time Uganda has avoided defeat against Bafana Bafana, who had won four of the previous five encounters between the two sides.
