South Africa will be looking to end an unwanted 20-year record against Morocco after being drawn alongside the North African giants in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
On Tuesday evening, Bafana Bafana learned the identity of their opponents for the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign after being drawn in Group K against North African giants Morocco, Liberia and neighbours Zimbabwe.
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Hugo Broos’ side will be looking to qualify for the tournament for the first time since the 2019 edition in Egypt where the team, then led by Stuart Baxter, coincidentally met the Moroccans in the group stage of the competition.
South Africa lost that tie 1-0 courtesy of a late winner from Mbark Boussoufa but nonetheless progressed to the knockout rounds, where they later defeated hosts Egypt before being eliminated by Nigeria in the quarter-finals.
However, when Bafana meet the Atlas Lions later this year, it will have been more than 20 years since the men in gold and green last tasted victory over their opponents, with that result coming in a 3-1 win at the 2002 AFCON in Mali on 30 January 2002.
Sibusiso Zuma, Thabo Mngomeni and Siyabonga Nomvethe were all on the scoresheet that day in what has ultimately proved to be South Africa’s last victory over the North Africans for more than two decades.
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Since that encounter, the two nations played out a 1-1 draw at the 2004 AFCON, a 2-2 draw at the 2013 edition and a 1-1 draw in a friendly later that year, before Morocco recorded the narrow win in Cairo three years ago.
With the top two teams from each group qualifying for the showpiece tournament in Ivory Coast next year, South Africa and Morocco will be pre-tournament favourites to qualify, and improved results against the North Africans would go a long way in ensuring Bafana’s progression.
Scroll through the gallery to see South Africa’s all-time leading goalscorers in World Cup qualifying
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