U-17 AFCON: South Africa secure come-from-behind win over Senegal

South Africa claimed a vital 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Senegal at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in their 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (U-17 AFCON) opener in Morocco.

The SA juniors registered a morale-boosting win over Senegal as they look to have a good run in the competition and possibly lift the trophy.

Amajimbos and Senegal locked horns in the Group D match with three points at stake to set a tone for the youth tournament.

In the opening exchanges, both sides were sloppy after struggling to find a good passage of play, with the match marred by a handful of misplaced passes.

As the first-half progressed, the two sides had half-chances that could have produced an opening goal of the match; however, they were poor in the final third.

South Africa turn it around to collect maximum points

With the match headed to half-time, Senegal started gaining momentum and found the back of the net to go into the tunnel at the break leading 1-0.

The second-half produced two quick goals after Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Inganathi Simama found the back of the net in the 48th minute, and his goal was initially ruled out to be offside, but a VAR check came to the rescue, and the goal was awarded.

In the 52nd minute, Veli Khumalo’s charges took the lead with an own goal from Cheikh Thior following a lapse in concentration from Senegal.

The young Lions of Teranga brought the score line back to level matters with a wonder strike, but the goal was disallowed due to offside leading up to the goal.

South Africa held on to their lead to defeat Senegal 2-1 and collect crucial maximum points as they are chasing their first-ever U-17 AFCON title.

FULL-TIME! 🇸🇳🇿🇦

A big turnaround and a big win for the Amajimbos. ✅#TotalEnergiesAFCONU17 pic.twitter.com/Fsii97SRxV

— CAF Online (@CAF_Online) May 14, 2026