How it happened
Egypt did most of the attacking and South Africa took the result. A single goal settled this international friendly at Cairo International Stadium on 4 October, with kick-off at 18:00 UTC under cloudy skies.
The first half finished goalless. Six minutes after the restart, P. Dithejane scored the only goal for South Africa in the 51st minute. Egypt could not find a reply in the remaining time, and the visitors held their lead to the final whistle. Neither side had a player sent off.
The numbers
The statistics show one side doing the pressing. Egypt had 61% possession to 39%, 19 shots to seven and eight corners to one. Their 12 extra attempts produced six on target, twice South Africa's three. Egypt's estimated expected goals of 1.76 against 0.51 put them 1.25 ahead on chance quality, yet they finished without a goal.
Puso Dithejane, the scorer, earned a match rating of 8.1 in 77 minutes, adding one key pass from 30 touches. Egypt's Mohanad Lasheen matched that 8.1 over the full 90 minutes and had 83 touches, the most of the three top-rated players.
Ricardo Goss played a key part in keeping Egypt out. The South Africa goalkeeper made four saves in 28 minutes on the pitch and earned a match rating of 8. Defender Lebone Seema was rated 7.8 after 90 minutes, with one key pass and 59 touches.
What it means
The result cuts against the table positions. Egypt are listed 37th with seven points from five games (W2 D1 L2), while South Africa sit 61st with six points (W1 D3 L1). Egypt's table sequence reads L-L-W-D-W and South Africa's W-D-D-L-D.
South Africa's recent form had been modest, with two wins in ten and a sequence of W-L-W-D-L-D-D-L-D-L. Egypt's last ten produced three wins, four draws and three defeats.
The head-to-head record now favours South Africa clearly. They have won four of the five meetings listed, including this one, and Egypt's only win came in the 1-0 game on 26 December 2025. The meetings have averaged 1.6 goals.