South Africa booked their place in the Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 with a dramatic 3-2 win over Zimbabwe in Marrakech. Needing just a point to progress, Bafana Bafana were pushed to the limit by their determined neighbors. The breakthrough came early, with Tshepang Moremi scoring after seven minutes thanks to a heavily deflected effort that sailed over goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Zimbabwe responded swiftly, with Tawanda Maswanhise leveling the score 12 minutes later, curling a precise finish into the bottom-left corner. South Africa regained the lead five minutes into the second half when Lyle Foster capitalized on a defensive error, heading a loose ball past Arubi. The game remained tense, with Oswin Appollis denied by the Zimbabwe keeper and Maswanhise hitting the post at the other end.
Zimbabwe’s hopes were further dented 17 minutes from time when Aubrey Modiba scored an own goal. They fought for a comeback, but a VAR-checked handball by Marvelous Nakamba handed South Africa a penalty, which Appollis coolly converted to seal the win. The result confirmed South Africa’s second-place finish in Group B behind Egypt, while Zimbabwe, along with Angola, bowed out of the tournament. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.
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