The Black Galaxies of Ghana suffered a narrow 1–0 defeat to South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in an international friendly played on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto.
The encounter formed part of South Africa’s preparations for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which gets underway this weekend, while Ghana used the fixture as a test for its home-based players, who predominantly feature in the Ghana Premier League ahead of the 2026 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers.
The Black Galaxies struggled to settle in the opening exchanges as Bafana Bafana dominated possession and dictated the tempo in the first half, keeping Ghana largely on the defensive on home soil.
South Africa created the better chances before the break but were unable to convert their dominance into goals.
The hosts made a number of changes at the start of the second half, a move that quickly paid dividends.
In the 57th minute, Sipho Mbule broke the deadlock with a well-struck effort from distance to give South Africa a deserved lead.
Ghana responded positively after conceding and grew into the game as the second half progressed.
The Black Galaxies showed greater urgency and attacking intent, creating several clear scoring opportunities.
They came agonisingly close to an equaliser on two occasions, hitting the woodwork twice, while the South African goalkeeper, was forced into action, producing a fine save to tip a goal-bound effort over the crossbar.
Despite sustained pressure from the visitors in the latter stages, the match ended 1–0 in favour of Bafana Bafana.
Nonetheless, Ghana will take encouragement from the spirited second-half display and the resilience shown against strong opposition.
The Black Galaxies now turn their attention to preparations for the 2026 CHAN qualifiers, with the friendly against South Africa providing valuable international exposure and a useful assessment of the squad’s progress.
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Story by Xavier Mensah | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
