Zimbabwe Hold Angola to 1–1 Draw to Keep Knockout Hopes Alive

Zimbabwe salvaged a 1–1 draw against Angola in their second Group B match on Friday to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.

 

The Warriors, who lost their opening fixture to Egypt, started on the front foot and nearly took an early lead when Antonio struck the crossbar inside the opening minute. Angola gradually asserted control and opened the scoring in the 24th minute through Gelson Dala, who broke clear and finished past goalkeeper Washington Arubi. The Angolans continued to apply pressure, forcing Arubi into a number of saves, while Zimbabwe were dealt a setback when captain Teenage Hadebe was forced off with an injury.

 

Zimbabwe found an equaliser deep into first-half stoppage time. Antonio delivered a square pass to Knowledge Musona, whose controlled first touch allowed him to place a low shot into the far corner to level the match before the break.

 

The second half was evenly contested, with both sides creating opportunities. Musona, Prince Dube and substitute Tawanda Chirewa tested the Angolan defence, while Arubi produced further saves to keep Zimbabwe in the game. Fabisch missed narrowly with two late attempts as Angola pushed for a winner.

 

The match ended in a draw, handing both teams their first point of the tournament and leaving Group B qualification to be decided in the remaining fixtures.