Dithejane debut goal gives Bafana Bafana 1-0 win over Egypt

Puso Dithejane marked his senior international debut with the decisive goal as South Africa beat Egypt 1-0 in a friendly at Cairo International Stadium on Monday.

The 51st-minute strike gave Bafana Bafana a third consecutive victory under coach Pitso Mosimane and completed a successful week in Cairo. South Africa entered the match after a 5-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over Eritrea.

Mosimane used the friendly to test the depth of his squad, making nine changes to the team that started against Eritrea. Midfielder Sphephelo Sithole and defender Ime Okon were the only players retained in the starting line-up.

The reshaped side stayed organised against Egypt and found its breakthrough six minutes after half-time. Shandre Campbell lifted a pass behind the home defence, prompting goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir to rush from his area. When Shobeir failed to make a clean clearance, Dithejane kept his composure and placed the ball into the unguarded net.

The goal was a memorable first contribution at senior international level for Dithejane and rewarded South Africa’s willingness to trust younger and less experienced players in a demanding away fixture.

Egypt increased the pressure as the match moved into its closing stages, but South Africa’s defence held firm. Lebone Seema and Thabang Matuludi were prominent in protecting the lead, while the visitors continued to limit clear chances.

Goalkeeper Ricardo Goss replaced captain Sipho Chaine at half-time and made a crucial late intervention, diving to deny Ibrahim Adel. Hamza Abdelkarim struck the crossbar from the follow-up, allowing Bafana Bafana to escape the danger and preserve their clean sheet.

The result strengthens South Africa’s momentum under Mosimane, who has now overseen three wins from his first three matches. It also gave the technical team useful evidence about the squad’s options beyond the regular starting players.

Bafana Bafana’s attention now turns to a forthcoming double-header against Kenya, where Mosimane will have to decide how many of the players who impressed in Cairo should retain their places.

Source: Reporting was based on Sport South Africa. Featured image: Pitso Mosimane during South Africa’s AFCON qualifier against Eritrea at Al Salam Stadium on 30 September 2026. Credit: Ayman Aref/NurPhoto via Getty Images and Sport South Africa.