Oswin Appollis struck a decisive penalty in the final 10 minutes as South Africa edged past Zimbabwe 3-2 in Marrakech on Monday, securing second place in Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations and knocking their southern African rivals out of the tournament.
South Africa finished the group stage with six points, one behind group winners Egypt. Both teams advanced to the last 16, while Angola ended third with two points and now face an anxious wait to see if they qualify as one of the best third-placed sides.
Bafana Bafana took the lead three times in an entertaining but defensively shaky encounter. Tshepang Moremi scored his first international goal, while Lyle Foster and Appollis also found the net. However, head coach Hugo Broos will be concerned by how easily his side was exposed at the back.
Zimbabwe responded twice through excellent attacking play. Tawanda Maswanhise scored a stunning equaliser in the first half and later forced an Aubrey Modiba own goal, while also missing several chances that could have earned his side at least a draw.
South Africa made a bright start, opening the scoring after seven minutes when Moremi’s shot deflected off Divine Lunga and looped into the net. Zimbabwe responded in style in the 19th minute as Maswanhise picked up the ball from 35 yards out, beat two defenders, and fired a low shot past goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
The South Africans regained the lead shortly after halftime when a misplaced header back to goalkeeper Washington Arubi allowed Foster to nip in and score. Zimbabwe equalised again in the 73rd minute after Maswanhise’s shot was saved by Williams but rebounded off Modiba into the net.
The decisive moment came with 10 minutes remaining when Marvelous Nakamba was penalised for handling inside the box while diving to block a shot. Appollis calmly converted the resulting penalty to seal the win.
The result ended Zimbabwe’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages for the sixth time, while South Africa moved on despite still searching for top form in the tournament.
