Zambia snatch late winner as South Africa dominate Sierra Leone in U-20 AFCON Group A clashes

Zambia earned a dramatic 1-0 win over Tanzania in a tense Group A encounter at the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday evening.

The match, played in Ismailia, looked set to end in a goalless draw until Joseph Sabobo converted a penalty deep into stoppage time—awarded after a VAR review confirmed a foul on Emmanuel Mutale.

The win lifts Zambia to second place in the group standings, boosting their hopes of progressing.

Despite dominating stretches of the game and creating several chances through Jammy Simba and Cyprian Kachwele, Tanzania failed to find the net and remain winless at the bottom of the table.

Earlier in the day, South Africa impressed with a commanding 4-1 win over Sierra Leone. Jody Ahshene opened the scoring, while Neo Rapoo and substitute Thabang Mahlangu—who netted twice late in the game—helped seal a dominant performance.

Sierra Leone briefly fought back with a goal from Momoh Kamara but couldn’t contain South Africa’s attacking momentum.

The results shake up Group A, with Sierra Leone still leading on goal difference, followed by South Africa and Zambia. Tanzania’s campaign ends without a point. Action resumes on Wednesday with exciting fixtures as Nigeria face Kenya and Tunisia clash with Morocco.