Marrakech, Morocco – In a thrilling encounter at the Grand Stade de Marrakech on Monday, South Africa edged out Zimbabwe 3-2 to secure their place in the Round of 16 at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The victory saw them finish second in Group B, behind Egypt, who had already qualified. Zimbabwe, with only one point, were eliminated from the competition.

The match was a rollercoaster, with South Africa taking the lead in the 7th minute through Tshepang Moremi, whose shot deflected off Zimbabwe's Divine Lunga. Zimbabwe responded in the 19th minute with a stunning solo effort from Tawanda Maswanhise, who weaved through the South African defense before firing a low shot past Ronwen Williams.

South Africa regained the lead in the 49th minute when Lyle Foster headed home, but Zimbabwe equalized again in the 73rd minute, this time through an own goal by Aubrey Modiba. The decisive moment came in the 82nd minute when Oswin Appollis converted a penalty after a VAR review spotted a handball from Zimbabwe's Marvelous Nakamba. Appollis's penalty secured the win for South Africa, sending them through to the next round.

In the other Group B match, Egypt and Angola played out a goalless draw. This result meant Egypt finished top of the group with 7 points, while South Africa finished second with 6 points.

South Africa will now face the runners-up from Group F in the Round of 16. The top two teams from each group, along with the best four third-placed teams, advance to the knockout stage. The tournament is hosted by Morocco.

The AFCON 2025 group stage has been highly competitive, with several evenly matched games. Several teams have already been eliminated, including Botswana, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

This is the first-ever AFCON finals meeting between Zimbabwe and South Africa. South Africa has a slight advantage in head-to-head records with eight wins compared to Zimbabwe's six victories in their previous encounters.