Zimbabwe dealt a major blow to South Africa’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying hopes on Friday night, holding Bafana Bafana to a tense 0–0 draw despite finishing the match with ten men.
Hugo Broos’s side dominated large spells of the encounter, controlling possession and creating numerous chances but failing to find the breakthrough.
The match saw the return of midfielder Sphephelo Sithole, who made his first appearance since September of the previous year.
South Africa began on the front foot, using wingers Mohau Nkota and Oswin Appollis to stretch the Zimbabwean defence and exploit spaces behind their back line.
Nkota came closest to opening the scoring in the 43rd minute when his powerful effort struck the post, while Lyle Foster had two agonising near-misses – first seeing his shot cleared off the line by Divine Lunga in the 54th minute and later hitting the inside of the post in stoppage time.
However, despite numerical advantage following Knowledge Musona’s dismissal for a second yellow card in the 63rd minute, Bafana Bafana could not capitalise.
Zimbabwe, led by veteran goalkeeper Washington Arubi, defended resolutely after the red card, effectively “parking the bus” to preserve a valuable away point.
The result leaves South Africa ruing missed opportunities in a match they largely controlled, with Broos likely to be frustrated by his side’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
For Zimbabwe, the draw represents a hard-earned result that keeps their qualification hopes flickering.
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