Southern African rivals South Africa and Zimbabwe faced off at the Grand Stade de Marrakech in their final Group B match at the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, with both sides still in the hunt for a place in the knockout stage. In a gripping contest that swung back and forth, Bafana Bafana claimed a 3-2 victory to secure their spot in the round of 16, while Zimbabwe exited the tournament.
Zimbabwe came into the match knowing that only a win would give them any chance of qualifying from the group. The Warriors had taken just one point from their first two games, losing to Egypt and drawing with Angola. South Africa, meanwhile, applied early pressure and set the tone from kickoff. In the 6th minute, Arubi was called into action as Appollis turned sharply and drilled a shot towards the near post, but the Zimbabwe goalkeeper reacted well to parry it away.
Just a minute later the breakthrough arrived. South Africa moved the ball quickly across the attack, with Foster feeding Moremi, whose effort took a big deflection off Lunga and looped over Arubi for the opening goal. Despite being second best, Zimbabwe hit back in the 19th minute. Maswanhise produced a superb solo run, weaving past defenders before firing past Ronwen Williams to level the match. South Africa nearly restored their advantage before half-time, with Mbule forcing Arubi into another strong save from long range, but the teams went into the break tied at 1-1.
The second half began with the same intensity. In the 50th minute, South Africa regained the lead after a defensive mix-up. A bouncing ball was not dealt with, and Foster showed real commitment to force it over the line with a brave header as Arubi hesitated. Zimbabwe tried to respond, threatening from set pieces, while South Africa continued to push forward, with Appollis denied again by Arubi.
Maswanhise almost equalised in the 64th minute when his strike cannoned back off the post, a warning of what was to come. Zimbabwe finally made their pressure count in the 74th minute through a chaotic sequence. Chirewa released Maswanhise down the right, his low effort struck Williams, rebounded against Modiba and deflected into the net for 2-2.
With the match finely poised, the decisive moment arrived in the 80th minute. A South African effort struck Nakamba, and after a VAR review, a handball was awarded. Appollis stepped up in the 82nd minute and calmly rolled his penalty past Arubi to restore Bafana Bafana’s lead at 3-2.
Zimbabwe threw everything forward in the seven added minutes, desperately searching for another equaliser, but South Africa held firm to claim the win. The result means Bafana Bafana finished second in Group B with six points and advanced to the round of 16, while Zimbabwe bowed out despite a spirited display.
Before this encounter, the nations had never met at the AFCON finals. It was their 20th meeting overall, with South Africa now extending their edge in the head-to-head record, having previously claimed eight wins to Zimbabwe’s six, with five games drawn.
