South Africa defeated regional rivals Zimbabwe 3-2 in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Group B match at the Marrakesh Stadium on Monday evening, securing a place in the last 16 of the continental tournament.
Bafana Bafana claimed the win thanks to goals from Tshepang Moremi, Lyle Foster and Oswin Appollis, clinching second place in Group B behind Egypt.
South Africa will advance to play the runner-up from Group F (one of Ivory Coast, Cameroon or Mozambique) on Sunday, 4 January in Rabat.
As for the Warriors, they finished bottom of the group and kept up their unfortunate record of elimination in the group stage in all of their Afcon tournament appearances.
South Africa threatened from early on and duly claimed the lead in the seventh minute, with Moremi’s shot-cross from the right of the penalty area deflecting off Divine Lunga and evading goalkeeper Washington Arubi to find the back of the net.
Zimbabwe levelled the game in the 19th minute via their No.19, Tawanda Maswanhise, who dribbled skilfully into a shooting position – leaving a couple of defenders in his wake – before firing a low drive beyond the right hand of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
The Warriors should have gone ahead 10 minutes later when Jonah Fabisch whipped in a great cross from a free kick, picking out the unmarked Munashe Garananga, but the big defender put his header over the crossbar.
Locked at 1-1 at the interval, Bafana Bafana made a change at the start of the second half by introducing Bathusi Aubaas to add some extra steel and stability in midfield.
South Africa reclaimed the ascendancy in the 50th minute, as Lyle Foster latched onto a poor back header from Lunga and bravely beat Washington Arubi to the bouncing ball to head into an empty net for 2-1.
The Warriors responded with a triple change on the hour mark – sending on Tawanda Chirewa, Macauley Bonne and Junior Zindoga – and they nearly claimed a second equaliser from Maswanhise a few minutes later, but his low drive rebounded off the base of the post.
Zimbabwe then scored out of nowhere in the 74th minute to level the game at 2-2. Chirewa played a brilliant pass to put Maswanhise in on goal – his shot was saved by the legs of Williams, but the rebound hit Aubrey Modiba and travelled into the net for an own goal.
More drama followed when the Warriors’ Marvelous Nakamba was guilty of a bizarre hand-ball in his own 18-yard area, handing South Africa a penalty (which was awarded after a VAR check).
Appollis took the spot kick in the 82nd minute and confidently struck the ball into the bottom corner to restore the lead at 3-2.
Bafana Bafana still had to weather some late scares, with Zimbabwe continuing to look dangerous whenever they attacked, but ultimately Hugo Broos’s side emerged victorious.
