Mental health challenges denied Lyle Foster the opportunity to play at his first Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Côte d’Ivoire last year. He has overcome those issues and is now leading South Africa’s charge at AFCON 2025.
Lyle Foster made his Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) debut on Monday (22 December) and ensured it was a memorable one.
The 25-year-old Burnley forward opened South Africa’s Group B campaign of the continental men’s football tournament with a match-winning performance against Angola, scoring the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory at Stade Marrekech.
“For the second chance I did well to win the ball back, then I got the ball at my feet. I wanted to score, I told myself to put it there. And thank God, luck was on my side,” Foster said after the match. “I will keep trying. Not every shot will go in, but if I can at least get one or two in each game, that’s my aim.”
His performance earned him the Man of the Match award and drew praise from former Bafana striker Mark Williams, who highlighted Foster’s pace, physicality, and hold-up play as ideal attributes for the South African attack.
