WATCH!
That earlier free-kick ... Sweet strike ain't it?
South Africa survive that "cishe" moment from a set-piece b4 Ronwen heroically saved a one-on-one with Kodjia!!
— robertmarawa (@robertmarawa) June 24, 2019
0-0 #TotalAFCON2019 #MarawaMoments pic.twitter.com/8anPSOdseh
31' Oh boy. A late challenge by Furman on Pepe. One that he needed to commit thought. Free-kick on the edge of the penalty box.
CHANCE! Pepe hits the upright! Williams looked like he had it covered. But that was close
21' Prior to this match it was evident that Ivory Coast would be physically dominate. And so it shows in this opening 20 minutes already. They're quick to close any green shirt down and even better with applying pressure when not on the ball.
20' free kick by Tau to Kamohelo Mokotjo but Thulani Hlatshwayo header found no strikers to shoot
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 24, 2019
0-0#AFCON2019
15' First corner of the match but the Ivory Coast player sends it long and deep. Nothing comes of it.
9' Williams dinking the ball out of play. His seen the ball plenty in the last five minutes now. His composure has been tops so far.
1' First-half is underway at the Al Salam Stadium with Mothiba getting things started.
The nerves!
Teams are walking out of the tunnel as the pre-match proceedings are underway!
IVORY COAST NAME STARTING XI:
Interesting to not that Zaha, Bony and Cornet are all on the bench.
Gbohouo; Coulibaly, Kanon, Traore, Wonlo, Aurier (c), Die, Kessie, Gradel, Seri, Pepe, Kodijia.
Good luck message from @Banyana_Banyana captain @Janinevanwyk5 to @BafanaBafana at the @AFCON_2019 in Egypt #TotalAFCON2019 #BafanaBafana #BafanaKaofela pic.twitter.com/pzVqdN0ZFz
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 24, 2019
Wishing @BafanaBafana the best of luck in Egypt #Afcon19 we all supporting you. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/U2dfNuPDCy
— Lucas Radebe (@LucasRadebe) June 24, 2019
Well wishes from @Banyana_Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis to @BafanaBafana head coach Stuart Baxter and his team in Cairo, Egypt ahead of the @AFCON_2019 tournament @SAFA_net pic.twitter.com/G46s22piwD
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 23, 2019
Bafana Bafana striker Lars Veldwijk says that he is beginning to enjoy life in the national team set-up and is ready to take his place in the starting XI if selected.
Meanwhile, read the following before kick-off later this afternoon ...
THE FULL BAFANA BAFANA AFCON SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Darren Keet (Wits), Bruce Bvuma (Kaizer Chiefs), Rowen Williams (SuperSport United)
Defenders: Daniel Cardoso (Kaizer Chiefs), Ramahlwe Mphahlele (Kaizer Chiefs), Thulani Hlatshwayo (Wits), Innocent Maela (Orlando Pirates), Sifiso Hlanti (Wits), Buhle Mkhwanazi (Wits), Thamsanqa Mkhize (Cape Town City)
Midfielders: Bongani Zungu (Amiens), Hlompho Kekana (Mamelodi Sundowns), Dean Furman (SuperSport United), Kamohelo Mokotjo (Brentford), Tiyani Mabunda (Mamelodi Sundowns), Thulani Serero (Vitesse), Thembinkosi Lorch (Orlando Pirates), Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Strikers: Lebo Mothiba (Strasbourg), Percy Tau (Royal St Union), Lars Veldwijk (Sparta Rotterdam), Lebogang Maboe (Mamelodi Sundowns), Sibusiso Vilakazi (Mamelodi Sundowns)
THE FULL IVORY COAST AFCON SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Sylvain Gbohouo (TP Mazembe), Ali Badra (Free State Stars), Tape Ira (FC San Pedro)
Defenders: Serge Aurier (Tottenham), Wilfried Kanon (ADO The Hague), Wonlo Coulibaly (ASEC Mimosas), Ismaël Traoré (Angers), Mamadou Bagayoko (Red Star), Cheikh Comara (Wydad Casablanca), Souleyman Bamba (Rennes)
Midfielders: Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Mainz), Geoffrey Serey Dié (Neuchâtel Xamax), Jean-Michaël Seri (Fulham), Victorian Angban (Metz), Franck Kessié (Milan) , Ibrahim Sangaré (Toulouse)
Strikers: Max-Alain Gradel (Toulouse), Nicolas Pépé (Lille), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa), Roger Assalé (Young Boys Bern), Maxwel Cornet (Lyon), Wilfried Bony (Without a club).
A victory would keep either side on track alongside Morocco who luckily beat Namibia yesterday courtesy of an 89th minute own goal.
WELCOME! WELCOME!
LIVE scoring and interactive commentary of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group D clash between Bafana Bafana and Ivory Coast.
Tau puts a corner in from South Africa's right and Ivory Coast allow it to bounce. Bafana Bafana are unable to capitalise, but that's concerning for Ibrahim Kamara.
Play gets back underway and Ivory Coast are handed their first yellow card. It's Seri who is punished for a foul.
The teams are given a water break in the sweltering heat of Cairo. The weather could hardly be more different to the South African winter.
Kessié goes down in the middle of the park and wins the free-kick. Furman makes his disappointment with the referee's decision clear. Replays show the SuperSport United midfielder was right — he got the ball cleanly.
CROSSBAR! Pepe goes straight for goal and hits the bar with Williams scrambling across from no-man's land. That so nearly curled into the top corner. Bafana Bafana are given a reality check!
SAVE! Kodjia finds himself through on goal and looks certain to score, but he fires too close to the goalkeeper and Williams reacts well to make the block! That surely stung him — it was struck with plenty of venom.
Pepe breaks the spell of South Africa dominance, beating Furman and forcing the foul. Free-kick to the Elephants in a dangerous area.
The chip comes in from another Tau free-kick. It curls just past the head of Hlanti. The whistle goes and Ivory Coast are granted a reprieve anyway, but the tables have turned here — it's Bafana Bafana on the front foot.
CLOSE! A South African corner from their right-hand side misses everybody in the danger area. Hlanti recovers on the opposite flank and puts the ball in for Hlatshwayo, who heads agonisingly wide of the target!
Mothiba picks up a yellow card for a foul on Aurier. He did have his arms all over his opponent, but that still seems a rather harsh decision against the talismanic Strasbourg striker.
We saw Ivory Coast defending an earlier South Africa attack with a very high line. Bafana Bafana, by contrast, are defending very deep. They're throwing numbers behind the ball, preparing to strike on the transition. No real surprise.
Ismael Traoré barges into Lebo Mothiba and gives away a free-kick. Tau plays it short to Mokotjo from the left. Bafana Bafana work the ball into a dangerous area but fail to get a convincing shot away. It's interesting to see Tau drifting to the left.
This game is becoming more of an end-to-end contest with South Africa finding their feet. Just as I say this, Williams gives the ball away to Gradel. Bafana Bafana are forced to head it clear as the cross comes in from Ivory Coast's left.
South Africa manage to string a clever counter-attack together. Maboe looks as if he's strayed offside as the ball comes through to him though, and Gbohouo gets to it first anyway.
Serey Die has a crack from long range, but it flies well over the target. He looks disgusted with himself. Still nothing really difficult for either goalkeeper to deal with yet.
Williams boots the ball straight out of play with the wind making it difficult for him to steer. Not exactly ideal conditions for long balls.
Mothiba heads the ball behind the Ivory Coast defence for Tau, who looks to race away, but just strays offside. Risky, that, from the 2015 champions. They kept a very high line, seemingly looking for the offside. That can so easily backfire!
South Africa are struggling to string passes together inside Elephants territory. Lebo Mothiba and Percy Tau will be hoping that service improves as the match progresses. Baxter's plan B is likely to be Lars Veldwijk, a strong aerial presence.
It's Ivory Coast who are doing most of the early attacking, but they have yet to really create anything of substance. Stuart Baxter barks orders to his players from the touchline, looking animated as ever.
Pepe weaves his magic on Ivory Coast's right, getting past Mokotjo and teeing up Kodjia, but Hlatshwayo does well to close him down. The shot from a tight angle fails to cause any problems for Williams.
Furman goes down inside his own half having been clattered into by Kodjia. No love lost in the early stages in this game.
KICK-OFF! The second Group D encounter of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is underway. The first was a much closer contest than expected with Morocco edging Namibia 1-0. Let's hope for an equally exciting game here.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of this eagerly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations clash between Ivory Coast and South Africa at the Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo. Bafana Bafana seek to emulate the legendary class of '96.
SOUTH AFRICA STARTING XI: Ronwen Williams, Sifiso Hlanti, Buhle Mkhwanazi, Thulani Hlatshwayo (c), Thami Mkhize, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Dean Furman, Lebo Maboe, Themba Zwane, Percy Tau, Lebo Mothiba.
SOUTH AFRICA SUBS: Darren Keet, Bruce Bvuma, Innocent Maela, Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Daniel Cardoso, Hlompho Kekana, Tiyani Mabunda, Bongani Zungu, Thulani Serero, Thembinkosi Lorch, Lars Veldwijk, Sibusiso Vilakazi.
The biggest surprise from that Bafana Bafana lineup is that Ronwen Williams starts ahead of Darren Keet despite Keet's magnificent display in goal against Libya. Football is a cruel sport and you can't say Williams hasn't earned it.
IVORY COAST STARTING XI: Gbohouo, Coulibaly, Traoré, Aurier (c), Kanon, Kessié, Seri, Serey, Kodjia, Gradel, Pepe.
2015 African champions Ivory Coast have left Wilfried Zaha, Wilfried Bony and Maxwel Cornet on their bench. Controversial selections from coach Ibrahim Kamara, but that speaks volumes about their depth!
IVORY COAST SUBS: Ira, Doumbia, Gbamin, Angban, Zaha, Cornet, Bony, Assalé, Ibrahim Sangaré, Comara, Mamadou, Badra Ali Sangaré.
The two teams are out on the field for this eagerly anticipated encounter. Ivory Coast have not beaten South Africa in six previous meetings, drawing four and losing two. They have plenty of talent but nothing can be taken for granted.