South Africa head coach Hugo Broos claimed that Mohamed Salah admitted his surprise at receiving the penalty from which he scored the winning goal in Egypt‘s 1-0 triumph on Friday in Agadir.
Salah’s panenka came off the back of a foul he won off Khuliso Mudau. The Bafana right-back’s hand caught Salah’s face, but contact was minimal.
«First half, Egypt was the better team. Second half, we were the better team. The game was decided by two decisions – two decisions that were not right,» Broos told the media after the match.
«The first one was ridiculous. Even Mo Salah said to me after the game that he was surprised that that was a penalty.»
The other decision Broos aimed at from referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana and his officiating team was the denial of Bafana’s penalty shout for handball against Yasser Ibrahim.
The centre-back had blocked a Teboho Mokoena shot with his arm inside the box in the dying minutes of the game. However, despite a VAR check, the penalty was not awarded due to Ibrahim‘s arm having been adjudged to have been in a natural position to support his body despite being extended.
«The second was a real penalty, because the arm was extended from the body and the ball hit his arm — but then suddenly, there is a rule of the supporting arm. What is the supporting arm?» Broos retorted.
«There are so many rules now [for determining] if it’s a penalty or not a penalty that people don’t know anymore what to decide.»
Bafana played the second half with a numerical advantage due to a red card to Mohamed Hany after he picked up a second yellow for a foul on Teboho Mokoena right before half-time.
They had 62% of the possession and 16 shots to Egypt’s seven throughout the course of the game. However, they were unable to break a stubborn Pharaohs defence down.
Egypt booked their place in the last 16 ahead of their Monday clash with Angola in Agadir. Bafana Bafana will have to wrap theirs up in Marrakesh on the same day against neighbours Zimbabwe.
