Five most significant matches of 2024

As the curtain draws on 2024, SuperSport.com looks back over the past 12 months at the five most significant games for South African football.

They were not necessarily the most entertaining, or spectacular, but how the games unfolded, and their outcomes made them landmark matches that 2024 will be best remembered for.

South Africa 2 Morocco 0

The round of 16 tie at San Pedro pitted a South Africa side, who had proven unconvincing in the first phase of the Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast but advanced nevertheless with four points, against the top ranked side and tournament hot favourites.

But Bafana surprised Morocco with their combativeness and went ahead in the second half through Evidence Makgopa, who was judged onside by millimetres and whose goal was confirmed only after a lengthy VAR check. Morocco got a late penalty for an opportunity to equalise and force the tie into extra time, but star full back Achraf Hakimi missed. Thereafter followed a breakaway which saw Tebeho Mokoena held back, and Sofyan Amrabat sent off. From the resultant penalty, Mokoena slammed home one of the goals of the year to ensure a famous win.

Stellenbosch 5 Polokwane City 0

Goalscoring records have rarely been troubled over the last decades of dogged defence and plentiful pressing, but it was on April 27 that Stellenbosch striker Iqraam Rayners wrote his name into scoring history books. Rayners netted all five goals in the league clash against Polokwane City at the Danie Craven Stadium to equal the record number of goals by a player in a league game in the Premier Soccer League era.

 It matched the efforts of Zambian import James Chamanga, who scored five for Moroka Swallows against Platinum Stars in the 2007-08 season in a 6-2 win. Rayners went onto finish runner-up in the DStv Premiership scoring charts, one behind Tsegofatso Mabasa of Orlando Pirates, and earn himself a lucrative move to champions Mamelodi Sundowns. Against Polokwane, Rayners scored one before halftime and then four more between the 64th and 81st minute. He fluffed two more good chances for an even bigger tally.

Mamelodi Sundowns 0 Cape Town City 1

Sundowns’ almost total dominance in the title race last season was such that they broke a host of records, including a 23-point gap between themselves and runners-up Pirates in the standings. It was also a record-stretching seventh successive league title plus No 17 overall. But they fluffed the one record they really wanted – to become the first club to finish a league season unbeaten. This had never previously been achieved in 65 years of professional football in South Africa.

 Sundowns made it 29 league games without losing when they arrived at Loftus Versfeld on the last day of the season in May for their coronation. But their plans for a fitting celebration were derailed by Cape Town City, who had another of their topsy-turvy season and were not expected to spoil the party. But that is exactly what they did as Jayden Rhodes broke away to score on the hour mark and deny Sundowns the tag of ‘Invincibles’.

Mamelodi Sundowns 1 Orlando Pirates 2

Another surprise loss for Sundowns as they were denied the league and cup double in the dying stages of the Nedbank Cup final at Mbombela Stadium. This setback came one week after they were beaten by Cape Town City in their last game of the league season and the double blow contributed to the end of Rulani Mokwena’s spell as coach at the club. Sundowns suffered only eight losses in the entire 2024 in the 50 matches they played in all competitions and this one probably stung the most.

 They were put into the lead 10 minutes into the second half by the evergreen Temba Zwane, after Lucas Ribeiro had his sixth minute penalty saved, but Pirates then won a soft penalty to equalise thorough Patrick Maswanganyi. Teenage substitute Relebogile Mofokeng then netted a sumptuous individual effort in stoppage time that will go down as one of the great cup final winning goals.

Uganda 0 South Africa 2

South Africa were not expected to struggle in the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco but made heavy weather of their opening matches before a 5-0 home win over Congo settled the nerves. They were trailing Uganda in the standings when they went to Kampala for their penultimate fixture in Group K but a convincing away win made sure that South Afra finished top, giving them potentially a better draw when the pairings for the finals are made in late January.

 Thapela Morena netted the opening goal just after halftime and Maswanganyi add a late second goal in only his third appearance for the team. While it is no earth-shattering achievement to overcome Uganda, the assured nature of the performance suggests a new level of maturity and proficiency in the Bafana ranks.