With qualification on the line for both teams, South Africa flew out of the blocks to establish a seventh-minute lead through Tshepang Moremi, just seconds after Appollis had forced Washington Arubi into a smart stop.
Moremi’s shot took a wicked deflection that wrong-footed the Zimbabwe goalkeeper, representing the second time that Bafana Bafana have scored the opening goal in this year’s competition.
Buoyed by their opener, South Africa continued to pile the pressure on their opponents until their building momentum was halted by a moment of magic from Tawanda Maswanhise.
The 23-year-old shimmied past one defender and then bamboozled another with a flurry of stepovers before he drove a low shot out of Ronwen Williams’s reach to net his first international goal since November 2024.
Arubi then pushed away Sipho Mbule’s fierce strike from distance to ensure his nation went into the break on level terms.
However, the Zimbabwe shot-stopper could not stop Lyle Foster from restoring South Africa’s advantage from a defensive error in the opening stages of the second period. The Burnley forward beat Arubi to Divine Lunga’s wayward header, nodding it into the empty net to net his second goal of the tournament.
Once again, Maswanhise spearheaded the Warriors’ response, drilling a low shot against the upright before he played a key role in a fortuitous 73rd-minute equaliser. The Motherwell man saw his effort saved before it bounced off the unfortunate Aubrey Modiba and into his own net, setting up a grandstand finish.
A captivating contest delivered more drama when Marvelous Nakamba gave away a penalty with a careless handball, offering Appollis the chance to restore South Africa’s advantage, which he duly did by sending Arubi the wrong way from 12 yards.
Hugo Broos’ side successfully avoided a third equaliser to advance to the last 16, while the Warriors have now suffered group-stage exits in all six of their AFCON appearances.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lyle Foster (South Africa)