South Africa breathed life into their COSAFA Cup journey with a solid 2-0 win over Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein on Saturday, moving to second place in Group A.
After a narrow opening loss to Mozambique, coach Vela Khumalo shuffled his lineup, introducing four fresh faces. The changes paid off as Bafana Bafana took control early, though missed chances kept the match goalless until the 39th minute.
Masindi Nemtajela was fouled in the box, and Kabelo Dlamini calmly tucked away the resulting penalty to break the deadlock. Despite more pressure from the hosts, Zimbabwe’s keeper Martin Mapisa kept the score down with several key saves.
South Africa pushed hard after the break, and their persistence was finally rewarded in the 78th minute. Gape Moralo whipped in a perfect set-piece, and Ime Okon met it with a powerful header to seal the win.
Now on three points, Bafana Bafana must beat Mauritius in their final group game to have any hope of reaching the semi-finals.
Momentum restored, South Africa’s chase for regional honours is back on.
