South Africa Crowned U-20 AFCON Champions After Beating Morocco
South Africa claimed their first-ever TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations title with a 1-0 win over Morocco in Sunday’s final at Cairo’s June 30 Stadium.
Gomolemo Kekana scored the decisive goal in the 70th minute, curling a powerful strike into the top corner after a VAR review confirmed the effort. It was a moment of brilliance in a tense, tactical battle.
The victory marked South Africa’s first U-20 AFCON final appearance since 1997 also against Morocco and this time, they reversed the result to become the tournament’s 12th different winner.
Both teams came into the final unbeaten with strong defensive records. Morocco dominated the first half but couldn’t beat standout goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe, who finished the tournament with the most saves (24). South Africa absorbed pressure and grew into the match, eventually capitalizing through Kekana.
Morocco pushed hard for an equalizer, but South Africa’s backline, led by Tylon Smith and Sfiso Timba, held firm to seal the historic win.
It was a tournament built on resilience for South Africa, who bounced back from an opening loss to Egypt and edged out DR Congo, Nigeria, and Morocco in the knockouts scoring just nine goals but making each one count.
For Morocco, the defeat ended a 14-match unbeaten run in open play at the U-20 AFCON and prolonged their wait for a second title
