South Africa booked their place in the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Zimbabwe in a Group B encounter on Monday in Marrakech.
South Africa made a perfect start, taking the lead inside seven minutes. Tshepang Moremi reacted quickest to a deflected effort, deftly lifting the ball over goalkeeper Arubi to give his side an early advantage.
Buoyed by the opener, Hugo Broos’ men pressed forward with confidence, with Thapelo Mbule and Oswin Appollis driving their attacking momentum.
Zimbabwe, however, refused to be overawed and responded perfectly. In the 19th minute, Tawanda Maswanhise produced a moment of individual brilliance, weaving past several defenders before firing home a powerful finish to restore parity and ignite the contest.
After an entertaining first half, South Africa regained control shortly after the restart. A moment of defensive hesitation from Zimbabwe proved costly in the 50th minute, allowing Lyle Foster to pounce and cleverly lob Arubi with a looping header to make it 2-1.
The Warriors remained a constant threat, with Maswanhise coming agonisingly close to a second goal when his fierce strike crashed against the post midway through the second half.
The decisive moment arrived in the final quarter of an hour. Following a VAR review, the referee awarded South Africa a penalty for a handball by Marvelous Nakamba. Appollis stepped up and calmly converted in the 82nd minute to extend Bafana Bafana’s lead.
South Africa will face the runners-up from Group F; Ivory Coast, Cameroon or Mozambique, in Rabat on Sunday, while Zimbabwe’s wait to progress beyond the group stage continues after six AFCON appearances.
