South Africa secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over regional rivals Zimbabwe in their final CAF Africa Cup of Nations Group B clash at the Grand Stade de Marrakech on Monday, December 29, 2025, a result that sends Bafana Bafana into the knockout stages as runners-up and ends Zimbabwe's tournament hopes. The high-stakes encounter, crucial for both nations' qualification ambitions, lived up to its billing, offering a pulsating back-and-forth contest settled by a late penalty. Match Dynamics and Key Moments South Africa started brightly and took an early lead in the seventh minute when Tshepang Moremi's shot took a decisive deflection, looping over the stranded Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi. Zimbabwe responded with flair, as Tawanda Maswanhise produced a moment of individual brilliance, dancing through the defence to fire home a superb equalizer in the 19th minute. The second half began with renewed intensity. In the 50th minute, Burnley striker Lyle Foster capitalized on a defensive mix-up, nodding the ball into an empty net to restore South Africa's advantage. However, Zimbabwe, spurred on by a triple substitution, refused to wilt. Their persistence was rewarded in the 73rd minute with a significant slice of luck: goalkeeper Ronwen Williams' save cannoned off the covering defender Aubrey Modiba and into the net for an own goal. With the match seemingly destined for a draw, a VAR review confirmed a handball on the goal line by Zimbabwe midfielder Marvelous Nakamba. Oswin Appollis stepped up to calmly convert the ensuing penalty in the 82nd minute, his second goal of the tournament, securing the crucial three points for South Africa.
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Group Standings and Outlook The victory ensured South Africa finished second in Group B with six points, one point behind group winners Egypt. The result means Bafana Bafana progress to the Round of 16, where they will face the second-placed team from Group F on Sunday, January 4, 2026. Zimbabwe's spirited effort was ultimately not enough, as they finished at the bottom of the group with just one point, thus being eliminated from the competition. Coach Hugo Broos of South Africa, while pleased with the win, acknowledged some defensive frailties, stating, "We repeated the same mistakes as in previous games – poor passing and bad positioning," emphasizing areas for improvement ahead of the knockout rounds.
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