MARRAKESH, Morocco (Dec. 29, 2025) (Interstat) — South Africa defeated Zimbabwe 3-2 in an Africa Cup of Nations group stage match Monday at Grand Stade de Marrakech.

Tshepang Moremi opened the scoring for South Africa in the seventh minute, but Zimbabwe’s Tawanda Maswanhise equalized in the 19th. South Africa regained the lead just before halftime with a 50th-minute header from Lyle Foster. Aubrey Modiba extended the lead to 3-1 in the 73rd minute. Substitute Oswin Appollis sealed the win with a late goal for South Africa.

The result defied pre-match projections that heavily favored Zimbabwe. South Africa improved to 1-0 in the tournament, while Zimbabwe fell to 0-1.