U23 AFCON qualifiers: South Africa beat Algeria in friendly

As part of their preparations for the 2027 Africa U23 Cup of Nations qualifiers, Algeria's under-23 side and their South African counterparts faced each other in a friendly on Thursday. In Bloemfontein, South Africa won 3-1.

A turnaround in the scenario

The Algerian hopefuls made a perfect start to the match, opening the scoring shortly before half-time through Yanis Senhadji in the 44th minute. A logical lead for the Greens at the break.

After the break, the South Africans responded emphatically. Quwan Plaatjies quickly brought the two teams level in the 48th minute, before Nhlanhla Gasa put his side ahead in the 53rd minute. Faiz Abrahams sealed the hosts' victory by scoring the third goal in the 72nd minute.

Focus on the qualifiers

Despite this defeat, the training camp remains important for what lies ahead. In the second round of qualifying for the 2027 Africa U23 Cup of Nations, Algeria will face the winner of the two-legged tie between Malawi and Eswatini. South Africa, meanwhile, will take on the winner of the clash between Comoros and Madagascar.

Nafongo TRAORE |

News Editorfr, ar, en

Nafongon Moussa TRAORE, Burkinabè de 25 ans, est passionné de football, est rédacteur pour Foot Africa et commentateur pour BurkiFoot.

Related teams and leagues

Algeria U23

South Africa U23