Staff Reporter
South Africa secured a spot in the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over neighbours Zimbabwe in their final Group B match on Monday in Morocco, overcoming defensive lapses to finish second behind Egypt.
Tshepang Moremi put Bafana Bafana ahead in the seventh minute when his shot deflected off Zimbabwe defender Divine Lunga and looped over goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Zimbabwe responded 12 minutes later as Tawanda Maswanhise dribbled past two defenders before firing a low shot into the bottom corner.
Burnley striker Lyle Foster restored South Africa’s lead five minutes after the interval, heading home after beating Arubi to a back-header amid another defensive mix-up.
Zimbabwe drew level in the 73rd minute when a Williams save rebounded off Aubrey Modiba for an own goal.
The decisive moment came in the 82nd minute when Zimbabwe captain Marvelous Nakamba was penalised for handball following a video assistant referee review.
Oswin Appollis converted the resulting penalty, sending Arubi the wrong way to seal the win.
South Africa dominated possession with 66% and outshot Zimbabwe 16-10, registering nine efforts on target compared to their opponents’ three.
However, coach Hugo Broos will be concerned by the goals conceded, which highlighted vulnerabilities in the backline.
Broos made a halftime substitution, replacing midfielder Sphephelo Sithole with Bathusi Aubaas due to poor ball retention.
The result left South Africa with six points from three matches, following a 2-1 win over Angola and a 1-0 loss to Egypt. They advance to face the runner-up from Group F — potentially Ivory Coast, Cameroon or Mozambique — in Rabat on Sunday.
Zimbabwe, who earned a single point from a draw with Angola, finished bottom of the group and were eliminated.
Under coach Mario Marinica, they showed attacking intent but were undone by errors and the absence of injured forward Knowledge Musona.
This marks their sixth Afcon appearance without progressing beyond the group stage.
South Africa, semifinalists in the 2023 edition, will aim to build on this momentum as they chase a second continental title since 1996.
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