South Africa booked their place in the Round of 16 at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after claiming a dramatic 3-2 victory over Zimbabwe on Monday, a result that secured a second-place finish in Group B.
Bafana Bafana made a fast start to the contest and took the lead in the seventh minute when Lyle Foster slipped a pass through to Tshepang Moremi, whose deflected effort from inside the box beat goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Zimbabwe responded just 12 minutes later through Tawanda Maswanhise, who capped an impressive solo run with a superb strike into the bottom left corner, leaving Ronwen Williams with no chance and restoring parity.
After the break, South Africa regained the advantage in the 50th minute following a defensive lapse by Zimbabwe. Foster reacted quickest inside the area and made no mistake as he headed the ball into the net to put his side back in front. However, the match took another twist in the 74th minute when Aubrey Modiba inadvertently turned the ball into his own goal, allowing Zimbabwe back into the game at 2-2.
The closing stages were filled with tension and controversy as South Africa pushed for a winner. In the 80th minute, appeals for a handball inside the Zimbabwe penalty area were initially waved away by the referee, but a subsequent VAR review overturned the decision and awarded a penalty. Oswin Appollis stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to restore South Africa’s lead.
South Africa saw out the remaining minutes to secure all three points, a win that confirmed their progression to the knockout phase of the tournament and underlined their resilience in a fiercely contested Group B encounter.
In the group, Egypt finished top with seven points and marches into the knockout stage feeling very confident.
