Zimbabwe's star reveals how his Super Eagles teammate pressured him to ensure they stopped Bafana Bafana in World Cup qualifier

Zimbabwe's vice-captain, Marshall Munetsi, has revealed how his Wolverhampton Wanderers Nigerian teammate, Tolu Arokodare, pressured him to ensure they stopped South Africa during their 2026 World Cup qualifier.

South Africa needed a win against Zimbabwe in order to boost their qualification chances, and Munetsi has revealed Arokodare told him to ensure that was not happening.

"I think even for me, I have a teammate who's playing for Nigeria, so as soon as he saw that South Africa were deducted three points, he was on my case in training. I think it's exciting for African football because I think everybody was watching to see how the group was going to be, but obviously South Africa has really been doing well if you check their records since the last AFCON,” Munetsi said, as per SABC Sports.

“They've been progressing very well, and I think for us, we're just here to enjoy the game and build up for AFCON. So, I think for the other teams, they have the pressure, so I'm also looking forward to seeing what's going to happen in the last game."

Zimbabwe and South Africa will meet again during the AFCON finals set to begin in December this year, since they are in Group B.

"I think obviously when you play for Zimbabwe, with the players we have, I think you'd always want to win a game of football; obviously, the context was very different for us," the Zimbabwean midfielder added. 

“We had nothing to really play for besides our pride, but we know that South Africa were trying to fight to qualify, but obviously, as competitors you want to show your A-game when you play in a stadium like this, and most of us, I think, have played in South Africa; we know how the atmosphere is," he stated.

“Also, we have to remember that this is our direct opponent when it comes to AFCON. It's a game we could not have lost, but it's a game we have to learn, and also take some lessons that we can take for the AFCON."

Bafana were unable to pick up a win against the Warriors, who are winless in the qualifiers, and this was a blow to their dream of getting an automatic ticket to the global showpiece.

The game against Zimbabwe became a high-stakes duel, given that South Africa needed to win after their points were reduced by FIFA.

The last games in Group C still carry a lot of significance given that no team has already qualified for the World Cup finals next year.

Benin, South Africa, and Nigeria are still in contention. To go top, Bafana would hope that the Super Eagles beat Benin and make sure they win their match against Rwanda.

Benin, on the other hand, would wish that Bafana slip again while they win against Nigeria to remain top and qualify.

Nigeria must win against Benin if they want a chance to qualify either as the group winners or as the runners-up who could potentially compete in November’s interconfederation playoff for a possible 10th African World Cup spot. In this case, Rwanda must beat South Africa.

Benin are ahead of Nigeria by three points and by two on goal difference, making the Uyo fixture a must-win for the Super Eagles.