Bafana and Warriors set for grudge match in Marrakesh

Regional rivals South Africa and Zimbabwe will have a grudge match in their final Group B fixture at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, set for the Marrakesh Stadium on Monday evening

Kick-off is at 6pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)

CURRENT FORM

Zimbabwe bounced back from their heart-breaking 2-1 defeat to Egypt in their tournament opener with a 1-1 draw against Angola in Marrakesh on Friday afternoon.

The Warriors found themselves a goal down to Gelson Dala’s strike, but hit back via veteran striker Knowledge Musona, who was restored to the team after missing the game against the Pharaohs.

South Africa, who opened their tournament with a 2-1 win over Angola, then slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Egypt on Friday evening in Agadir.

Mohamed Salah’s penalty decided the game in favour of the North Africans, though Bafana Bafana were left furious at being denied a hand-ball penalty from a VAR review late in the game - having dominated the second half against their 10-man opponents.

The results mean that Egypt (six points) will finish top of Group B regardless of their result against Angola (third, one point) in Agadir, or the outcome of this match in Marrakesh.

South Africa, placed second on three points, know that a win or draw will secure second place and advancement into the round of 16, while Zimbabwe (fourth place, one point) must win to have any realistic hope of progressing beyond the group stage for the first time.

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WHAT THE TEAMS ARE SAYING

Zimbabwe coach Mario Marinica knows what his side needs to do in order to remain alive at the Afcon:

“We need a win from the last match in order to go through [...] I think we need to have more composure in front of goal and try to take our chances a bit cleaner.”

South Africa coach Hugo Broos wants his team to tap into their anger and frustration at the defeat to Egypt:

“The decisions that were made here today on the pitch have motivated us 200 per cent to win the game on Monday against Zimbabwe.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Zimbabwe – Knowledge Musona

Veteran forward Knowledge Musona made a return to the team for their clash with Angola on Friday and duly vindicated that decision with a superbly-taken equalising goal, earning Zimbabwe their first point at the 2025 Afcon.

South Africa – Oswin Appollis

Breaking down a deep-lying defence was a major struggle against 10-man Egypt on Friday and Bafana Bafana will need the likes of Oswin Appollis to bring their ‘A Game’ to the clash with Zimbabwe and help their team secure a place in the knockout phase.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Overall, South Africa and Zimbabwe have clashed 19 times (including Cosafa Cup games, which would not technically count as ‘A’ level internationals but are an important part of the rivalry) with eight wins for Bafana, six for the Warriors, and five draws (one of which was a Cosafa Cup knockout game which Zimbabwe went on to win via penalties).

South Africa are unbeaten against their neighbours since 2013 and most recently took four points off Zimbabwe in the qualifiers for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Hugo Broos’s team claimed an emphatic 3-1 win (with a second-half brace from substitute Thapelo Morena deciding the game) in Bloemfontein in June of 2024, before a goalless draw in the return game held in Durban (due to Zimbabwe’s lack of CAF-approved top-tier venues) in October 2025 – results which very much helped Bafana Bafana make a return to the global stage for the first time since 2010.