South Africa booked their place in the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations after a dramatic 3-2 win over Zimbabwe in their final Group B match.
Both teams needed a result, and South Africa made a fast start. Tshepang Moremi opened the scoring in the seventh minute after his shot took a deflection and beat Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Zimbabwe hit back through Tawanda Maswanhise, who showed great skill to beat two defenders before firing a low shot past Ronwen Williams. It was his first international goal since November 2024. The teams went into half-time level after Arubi made a good save to deny Sipho Mbule.
South Africa regained the lead early in the second half when Lyle Foster reacted quickly to a defensive mistake and headed into an empty net for his second goal of the tournament. Zimbabwe responded again, with Maswanhise heavily involved as his shot led to an own goal by Aubrey Modiba, making it 2-2.
The decisive moment came late on when Marvelous Nakamba conceded a penalty for handball. Oswin Appollis calmly converted the spot-kick to seal the win for Bafana Bafana.
South Africa held on to claim second place in the group and move into the last 16. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, were knocked out at the group stage once again.
