Photo: Bafana Bafana X Account
In a match where the historical weight of the regional derby felt as heavy as the desert heat, Bafana Bafana secured their passage to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations knockout stages with a frantic 3-2 victory over Zimbabwe.
At the Grand Stade de Marrakech on Monday night, the stakes were clinical: avoid defeat or face an early flight home. For Hugo Broos’s men, the result ensures they finish second in Group B with six points, setting up a daunting potential clash with hosts Morocco.
But while the scoreboard smiled on Bafana Bafana, the performance was a reminder of the fine margins and the visceral intensity that define Southern African football.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was surreal, almost ghostly. Despite this being a high stakes ‘SADC war’ fuelled by geographic proximity and national pride, the stands were largely vacant.
The lack of a crowd however did not dampen the spirit of a handful of dedicated supporters whose voices echoed through the arena, nor that of the players on the pitch, who treated every duel as a battle for collective destiny.
The silence didn’t last long. Bafana signalled their intent early, with Oswin Appollis testing Washington Arubi in the 5th minute. Two minutes later, the deadlock broke. Tshepang Moremi found the net with a left-footed effort that took a wicked deflection off Divine Lunga, leaving Arubi stranded.
Zimbabwe, desperate to regain its balance after a shaky start to the tournament, responded with grit. In the 19th minute, Tawanda Maswanhise, handed his first start by Mario Marinica, produced a moment of individual magic. The Motherwell striker wove his way past Sphephelo Sithole and Aubrey Modiba before unleashing a strike that gave Bafana captain Ronwen Williams no chance.
Defensive lapses and own-goal drama
The equaliser appeared to disorient South Africa, causing the tactical structure Hugo Broos has spent years cultivating to fray. Zimbabwe nearly took the lead before the break when an unmarked Munashe Garan’anga misdirected a header from a Jonah Fabisch free-kick.
The second half became a chaotic blend of errors and clinical finishing. Five minutes in, a weak-headed back-pass from Lunga was intercepted by Lyle Foster, who ruthlessly restored South Africa’s lead. But the Warriors refused to retreat, playing with an attacking ambition that frequently unsettled the Bafana backline.
After Maswanhise rattled the woodwork in the 64th minute, the pressure finally told. In the 74th minute, a moment of pure calamity saw Ronwen Williams’ attempted clearance bounce off his own defender, Aubrey Modiba, for an own goal.
With the score at 2-2 and the match slipping toward a stalemate that would have shredded South African nerves, the decisive moment arrived in the 82nd minute. A shot from substitute Mohau Nkota was blocked by the arm of Marvellous Nakamba. After a tense video assistant referee (VAR) review, the penalty was awarded.
Oswin Appollis stepped up, showing the composure that the match had otherwise lacked, to bury the penalty into the bottom left corner. Despite seven minutes of agonising added time and a late flurry of Zimbabwean corners, Bafana held their nerves to secure the win.
The Final Reckoning
In the final Group B standings, Egypt claimed first place with seven points. South Africa secured their passage in second place with six points and a +1 goal difference, while Zimbabwe’s campaign ended at the bottom of the table with just one point.
Bafana Bafana move on, but the defensive fragility shown in Marrakech suggests that if they are to go all the way to the final, they will need more than just regional dominance to survive.