South Africa have booked their place in the round of 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after securing a dramatic 3-2 victory over Zimbabwe at Marrakech on Monday, Bold Sports reports.
The win saw South Africa finish second in Group B with six points, having defeated Angola 2-1 in their opening game before suffering a 1-0 loss to 10-man Egypt. The Pharaohs topped the group with seven points following a goalless draw with Angola in the day’s other fixture, while Zimbabwe and Angola were eliminated from the tournament.
Bafana Bafana made a dream start, opening the scoring inside five minutes as Tshepang Moremi’s early effort was deflected into the back of the net, handing South Africa an early advantage. Zimbabwe, however, responded quickly. In the 19th minute, Tawanda Maswanhise danced past defenders before firing a low shot into the net to level the scoreline.
The contest remained evenly balanced until early in the second half when South Africa capitalised on a costly Zimbabwean mistake. A mix-up between defender and goalkeeper allowed Lyle Foster to nod the ball home in the 50th minute, marking his second goal of the tournament and putting South Africa back in front.
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Zimbabwe refused to give up and were rewarded for their persistence in the 74th minute. In unfortunate circumstances for the South Africans, Aubrey Modiba turned the ball into his own net, once again levelling the score at 2–2 and setting up a tense finale.
The decisive moment arrived eight minutes from time when Zimbabwe midfielder Marvelous Nakamba was penalised for handball inside the box. Oswin Appollis stepped up and calmly dispatched the resulting penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to give South Africa a 3–2 lead.
Despite late pressure and desperate attempts to force a third equaliser, Zimbabwe could not find a way through. The final whistle confirmed South Africa’s progression to the knockout stages and brought an end to Zimbabwe’s AFCON campaign.
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