Angola and Zimbabwe played out a 1–1 draw in their first-ever meeting at the Africa Cup of Nations finals, as both sides picked up their first point of the Morocco 2025 tournament in Group B.
The encounter, played on 26 December at the Marrakesh Stadium, came after both teams opened their campaigns with narrow 2–1 defeats — Angola falling to South Africa, while Zimbabwe were beaten by Egypt. With early elimination looming, the clash carried significant weight for both nations.
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Angola began on the front foot and dominated much of the opening exchanges, forcing Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi into early action. Benson’s deflected effort in the 20th minute led to a corner from which Buatu powered a header straight at the keeper. Moments later, Arubi was again called upon, palming away a firm header from Nzola that was heading for the bottom corner.
The pressure told in the 25th minute when Angola finally broke the deadlock. Carneiro latched onto a long ball down the right flank and delivered a measured cross into the box, where Gelson Dala showed composure to control before firing a right-footed shot into the net.
Zimbabwe struggled to find rhythm but threatened from set pieces, with Knowledge Musona sending a free kick over the bar. The Warriors were dealt a blow when Teenage Hadebe was forced off through injury, with Brendan Galloway introduced in his place.
Just as Angola appeared set to go into the break in front, Zimbabwe struck in stoppage time. A rapid counter-attack saw Musona race clear before calmly finishing past Hugo Marques, with Bill Antonio providing the assist to level the scores at 1–1.
The second half remained open and competitive, with both sides pushing for a decisive goal. In the 78th minute, Tawanda Chirewa tested Marques with a fierce left-footed strike toward the top corner, forcing a fine save. Shortly after, Prince Dube went close with a header that drifted narrowly wide from a corner.
Angola piled on late pressure in search of a winner, but Zimbabwe defended resolutely to secure a valuable point — their first of the tournament. The result will be seen as a missed opportunity for Angola and their new head coach Patrice Beaumelle, whose side were unable to convert sustained dominance into maximum points.
Historically, the two nations had met only in AFCON qualifying, in 1998 and 2013, with Angola progressing to the finals on both occasions while Zimbabwe fell short. This finals encounter, however, ended honours even.
Attention now turns to the final round of Group B matches. Angola face Egypt on 29 December in what is shaping up to be a must-win clash, while Zimbabwe take on regional rivals South Africa in another decisive fixture as both sides fight to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive.
