December 26, (THEWILL) — Zimbabwe salvaged a 1-1 draw against Angola in their Africa Cup of Nations Group B encounter in Marrakesh on Friday. Veteran forward Knowledge Musona found the net deep into first-half stoppage time to cancel out Gelson Dala’s earlier strike for Angola.
The result leaves both nations two points behind joint Group B leaders Egypt and South Africa, who have each played one fewer match. Only the top two finishers in each section automatically progress to the knockout phase, though the best four third-placed teams from the six groups will also advance.
Angola took control after Bill Antonio squandered an early chance for Zimbabwe, shooting wide from close range. Dala broke the deadlock in the 24th minute when he latched onto a lobbed pass from Tó Carneiro and squeezed the ball past 40-year-old goalkeeper Washington Arubi. Musona, one of four changes to the Zimbabwe side following their 2-1 defeat to Egypt, initially struggled to make an impact, firing a free-kick into the wall and then shooting wide, prompting visible frustration from Romanian coach Marian Marinica.
Zimbabwe’s persistence paid off six minutes into added time before the interval. Following a midfield turnover, the Warriors mounted a swift counter-attack that released Musona inside the penalty area. His shot travelled between the legs of Carneiro and eluded the outstretched right leg of 39-year-old Angola goalkeeper Hugo Marques, who had earlier required head bandaging after a collision.
Both teams pressed for a winner in the second period, with Marques producing an acrobatic one-handed save to deny Zimbabwe substitute Tawanda Chirewa 12 minutes from full-time. The point gained does little to aid either side’s qualification hopes ahead of their remaining group fixtures.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
