Bafana Bafana were held to a goalless draw by 10-men Zimbabwe, suffering a huge blow to their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Bafana line-up notably included Sphephelo Sithole, who was returning to the side after an injury layoff, having last featured for the team in September of last year.
South Africa began aggressively, aiming for an early goal. They utilized the pace of wingers Mohau Nkota and Oswin Appollis to quickly get behind the Zimbabwe’s defence, but the Warriors stood firm and defended deep.
As the game progressed, the home side grew in confidence and sought to silence the South African crowd.
But for large parts of the half both teams lacked the creation of goal-scoring chances as the action was dominated by midfield exchanges.
Nkota had the best chance of the first half, but his shot from outside the box only his the post after 43 minutes.
Broos reacted with two subs at half-time, bringing on Bathusi Aubaas for Sphelelo Sithole and Thapelo Moreno for Mohau Nkota.
Bafana started the second half with renewed energy, determined to find a breakthrough, but Zimbabwe continued to close the door at the back.
In the 54th minute, Divine Lunga made a critical intervention, clearing Lyle Foster’s goal-bound attempt off the line, with goalkeeper Washington Arubi out of goals.
After 63 minutes, Knowledge Musona was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, leaving his side left with 10 men for the rest of the game.
SA repeatedly penetrated the final third, constantly threatening Arubi’s goal, but for all their pressure, they could not manage to put the ball into the back of the net.
In the closing stages of the game, Zimbabwe parked the bus with South Africa continuing to press hard in search of a late winner, and the best chance coming for Lyle Foster, who hit the inside of the post.
With neither side rattling the back of the net, the match ended goalless, resulting in a draw for both teams.
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