AFCON 2023 Qualifier: South Africa And Liberia Share The Spoils With 2-2 Draw

South Africa’s quest to secure a place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations took a hit as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Liberia in a crucial qualifier match played on Friday evening at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto. The Bafana Bafana, who were seeking their first win in Group K, started brightly and put the Lone Stars’ defense under pressure from the opening whistle.

In the 11th minute, their persistence was rewarded when they were awarded a penalty after Percy Tau was brought down in the box. Lyle Foster stepped up and converted from the spot, beating goalkeeper Tommy Songo to give South Africa the lead.

The hosts continued to push forward and doubled their advantage in the 22nd minute. Teboho Mokoena was the architect of the second goal, setting up Foster who powered a header past Songo to give South Africa a 2-0 lead at halftime. The Bafana Bafana looked in control of the match and seemed poised to secure a comfortable win, but Liberia had other ideas.

After the interval, the Lone Stars came out with renewed vigor and pulled a goal back in the 69th minute through Terrence Tisdell. This goal seemed to awaken the visitors, who continued to push forward in search of the equalizer. In the dying moments of the match, they were finally rewarded when Mohammed Sangare beat keeper Ronwen Williams to level the scores at 2-2.

Lyle Foster, who was making his return to the Bafana squad after missing last year’s friendly matches, played a crucial role in the match. The 22-year-old Burnley center forward has now scored in back-to-back matches in Group K, taking his tally to three goals in the qualifiers. Despite his impressive performance, Foster’s brace against Liberia was not enough to secure the win for Bafana Bafana.

With two matches left in the group stage, South Africa remains second in the standings, five points behind leaders Morocco. The Bafana Bafana will now face a crucial match against Liberia on Tuesday at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia.

A win in this match is crucial for Hugo Broos’ side as they look to secure a place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. The top two teams from Group K will qualify for the tournament, and South Africa will be hoping to secure a positive result in their next match to keep their qualification hopes alive.