South Africa now need a point against Zimbabwe on Monday to be sure of their passage to the Round of 16, but arguably face a tougher route through the knockout stages if they are to better the bronze medal they won two years ago.
It was a tough afternoon with the officials, who awarded Egypt a penalty in the first half after Khuliso Mudau’s hand struck the face of Mohamed Salah as they tussled for the ball in the box, before later denying Bafana Bafana a spot-kick of their own late on following an apparent handball in the area.
But ultimately it was an inability to take their chances that meant Bafana came away from the fixture empty-handed.
Here are the reactions of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, captain Ronwen Williams, Mudau and midfielder Thalente Mbatha from the mixed zone, via SABC Sport.
Hugo Broos
“Even Salah said to me after the game that he was surprised it was a penalty. It was ridiculous. In the pre-tournament meeting they said if the arm is extended away from the body, it is a penalty.
“Then they said it was his supporting arm. Who invented this supporting arm? His arm was extended and it hit his arm.
“I want to talk about the meeting you get before a tournament. No one knows what to do. For 45 minutes they explain the rules, there are 25 to 50 rules. It is a penalty, then it is not a penalty.
“It is a red card for a player and then it is not. By the end, there are so many rules that no one knows what to do.”
Ronwen Williams
“We are disappointed. The objective in the game was not to lose. We wanted to win or at least get a point to secure qualification, but it wasn’t to be.
“We feel a bit hard done by because of the decisions made on the field. We feel it was a soft penalty, and obviously when you look at what happened on the other side towards the end, we should have got a penalty.
“But that is how football is. We take the lessons and the good things and move on, continuing to believe in this team.
“We knew they would sit deep because they were a man down. They were just defending their box. We created a few half-chances and some decent chances, but it wasn’t to be.
“We knew they would sit deep and not give us space in behind, and that is what we look for. There are a lot of lessons to take and we will grow from this.
“The performance was amazing. They came with a different approach and we didn’t expect a back five. They also put a lot of numbers in midfield, so the first 10 minutes were about adjusting.
“The fight and the never-say-die attitude were there. We left everything on the field, we just couldn’t get the goal. I am proud of these boys. We showed we can compete against the best. Now it’s about looking forward to the next game on Monday. We will definitely qualify.”
Khuliso Mudau
“I don’t think it was a penalty for Egypt. The referee gave it, and there is nothing we can do. We just need to focus on the next game.
“We didn’t have luck. We did everything to score but couldn’t. We just need to focus on the next one. There are positives to take, everyone was willing to help the team.
“We missed a lot of chances. If we make sure we take our chances, we will improve as a team.”
Thalente Mbatha
“We went looking for the win in the second half, so for us it was about putting more attacks together and trying to secure a goal. The coach tried everything, it was just not a good day for us.
“It is frustrating because we believed it was a free-kick or a penalty for us. The referee went to the screen to check if it was a free-kick or a penalty, but we don’t know what to say. At the end of the day, his word is final.
“We must come back stronger and get a win on Monday. It is a matter of being confident and believing in our abilities. We do have the quality, but we must be sharper and wiser.”