MATCH FACTS: South Africa and DR Congo face-off in TotalEnergies CAF U20 AFCON quarter-finals

Group A winners South Africa will face the third-placed team from Group C, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in their TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia on Monday (kick-off 21:00 local time / 18:00 GMT).  

This will be South Africa’s third meeting against a Central African nation in the tournament’s history, having faced Cameroon twice before – drawing 2-2 in the group stage in 2001 and winning 3-1 in their opening match in 2017.

For DRC, this will be their first match at the finals against a Southern African opponent. The senior national teams of South Africa and DRC have met three times at the Africa Cup of Nations – in 1998, 2000, and 2023.

South Africa won all three encounters: a semi-final in 1998, a group stage match in 2000, and a third-place playoff (via penalties) in 2023.

SOUTH AFRICA FACTS
·      South Africa began their campaign with a loss to Egypt but bounced back with consecutive victories over Tanzania and Sierra Leone before drawing with regional rivals Zambia.

·      This marks only the second time South Africa have reached the knockout stages after losing their opening match – the first being in 1997 when they finished as runners-up to hosts Morocco.

·      They are aiming for a fifth semi-final appearance, having previously reached that stage in 1997, 2009, 2017, and 2019.

·      South Africa have made the semi-finals in their last two tournament appearances and now find themselves in a direct knockout match for the fifth time.

·      However, they have never won such a match in open play – their only victory came in the 1997 semi-finals, where they beat Ghana on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The remaining four knockout matches ended in defeat: a 4-3 loss to Ghana in 2009, and 1-0 defeats to Zambia and Senegal in the 2017 and 2019 semi-finals, respectively.

·      In games beyond the group stage – including four semi-finals, three third-place playoffs, and one final – South Africa have never recorded a win in open play.

·      In addition to the 1997 final loss to Morocco (1-0), they were beaten 2-1 by Nigeria and Guinea in the third-place matches of 2009 and 2017, respectively. Their only success came in the 2019 third-place playoff against Nigeria, which ended 0-0 before South Africa triumphed 5-3 on penalties.

·      South Africa have been involved in two penalty shootouts at the finals and won both. They beat Ghana 4-3 in the 1997 semi-finals and Nigeria 5-3 in 2019 after goalless draws in both matches.

·      So far in this tournament, South Africa have scored six goals – three times more than they managed in 2019. They have won two matches and are seeking a third win in open play at a single edition for the first time.

·      The only previous time they won three matches in one tournament was in 1997, with one of those victories coming via penalties.

·      They have scored in their last three games and could match their best streak of scoring in four consecutive matches, last achieved in 2009 when they netted in all five of their matches.

·      Goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe has been a standout performer, making 16 saves – the most by any keeper in the tournament. South Africa have a shot conversion rate of 13.64% and have scored six goals, tied for the most among the quarter-finalists alongside Sierra Leone and Morocco.

DR CONGO FACTS
·      For DRC, this is their third appearance at the finals, and they have reached the quarterfinals for the first time.

·      In tournaments featuring a group phase, this is also the first time they’ve progressed beyond the groups. At the current edition, they started with a 1-1 draw against Ghana, followed by a 3-1 win over Central African Republic, and concluded with a 2-0 loss to Senegal.

·      They’ve conceded four goals in three games, slightly better than the five they let in during the 2013 edition, and have already doubled their group stage goal tally from that year (four vs. two).

·      The 2-0 defeat to Senegal matches their heaviest loss at the finals, equaling a 3-1 defeat to Nigeria in 2013. This is the first time DRC have failed to keep a clean sheet in the group stage – they had a goalless draw with Gabon in their 2013 opener.

·      Since that match, they have now conceded in each of their last five games at the tournament.

·      Including their 1989 appearance, DRC have played eight matches at the finals and kept only two clean sheets: one against Gabon in 2013 and one in the second leg of their 1989 first-round tie (0-0 away after a 2-2 home draw).

·      Their current shot conversion rate is 16.67%, second only to Morocco (20%) among the quarter-finalists.

·      DRC have completed 638 successful passes – the fewest of the last eight teams – while South Africa lead that category with 1,117.

·      DRC have also recorded 38 successful dribbles, the second-highest among the quarter-finalists, behind Ghana’s 46.