Angola and Zimbabwe shared the spoils after an entertaining 1–1 draw in their Group B clash at the Stade de Marrakech on Friday, as both sides continued their search for a first win at the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025.
In a competitive encounter that saw both defences stretched, Angola struck first through Gelson Dala before Zimbabwe responded deep into first-half stoppage time courtesy of captain Knowledge Musona, ensuring the points were evenly shared.
Angola started on the front foot and were rewarded in the 26th minute with a well-crafted opener. A perfectly weighted through ball from Tó Carneiro split the Zimbabwe backline, allowing Dala to race through and calmly slot a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner. The goal reflected Angola’s early dominance and attacking intent.
Zimbabwe weathered the pressure and gradually grew into the game, showing resilience and patience. Their persistence paid off in the 45+6th minute when Musona finished off a swift counter-attack, guiding a composed right-footed effort into the bottom left corner from the right side of the box, following an assist from Bill Antonio.
After the break, Angola controlled much of the possession and pushed high up the pitch, creating several chances as they searched for a decisive second goal. However, Zimbabwe remained disciplined and dangerous on the counter, threatening to snatch a winner of their own.
Despite four minutes of added time, neither side could find the breakthrough, and the match ended in a hard-fought stalemate.
The result leaves both Angola and Zimbabwe still without a victory at AFCON 2025, with qualification hopes now resting on strong performances in their remaining Group B fixtures as the battle for knockout stage places intensifies.
