Sierra Leone and South Africa Claim First Wins at U-20 AFCON

May 1, 2025

Sierra Leone and South Africa earned their first victories in Group A of the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, both teams bouncing back in their second matches of the tournament.

Sierra Leone now lead the group after a dominant 4-1 win over hosts Egypt at the Suez Canal Stadium. Despite conceding first to a goal by Egypt’s captain Ahmed Soliman just before halftime, Sierra Leone responded strongly in the second half. Momoh Kamara equalized in the 63rd minute and quickly added a second goal. Sallieu Bah converted a penalty in the 76th minute, and Kamara completed his hat-trick in stoppage time.

South Africa also celebrated their first win with a 1-0 victory over Tanzania. Shakeel April scored the only goal of the match in the 27th minute after receiving a well-timed pass from Mogamat Faiz Abrahams. It marked the first time South Africa kept a clean sheet in their second group game in tournament history.

South Africa now sit second in the group, ahead of Egypt on goal difference. They will face leaders Sierra Leone next Tuesday, while Tanzania—still winless—will take on Sierra Leone on Saturday.