Zimbabwe vice-captain Marshall Munetsi says the Warriors’ determined display against Bafana Bafana was inspired by comments made by South Africa coach Hugo Broos before their October 10 clash.
The Wolves midfielder, who once starred for Orlando Pirates, revealed on Metro FM’s Sports Night Amplified that Broos’ remarks — suggesting Zimbabwe were not among Africa’s “top teams” — provoked the players to prove him wrong.
“For him to say he’s not taking us seriously touched us as players. We wanted to show that we’re not pushovers,” Munetsi said.
Broos had downplayed Zimbabwe and Rwanda before the fixture, saying:
“We’re facing Zimbabwe and Rwanda, not Nigeria, Cameroon, or Egypt. These are good teams, yes, but not top teams.”
The Warriors responded with a spirited 0–0 draw at Moses Mabhida Stadium — a result that temporarily dented South Africa’s World Cup hopes before they sealed qualification by beating Rwanda in their final group match.
Munetsi hinted that Broos’ words have already set the tone for their AFCON 2025 Group B encounter, where Zimbabwe and South Africa will meet again alongside Angola and Egypt.
“As soon as he said that, players started calling each other. We knew we’d face them again at AFCON, and we wanted to make a statement,” he added.
The Zimbabwe vice-captain also spoke about the emotional weight of the rivalry, saying losing to South Africa is never an option in the eyes of local fans.
“Zimbabweans might forgive us for losing to Lesotho,” he said, “but never for losing to South Africa. That’s why we played with so much pride and intensity.”
Munetsi concluded that Zimbabwe’s squad deserves more respect:
“If you look at our team, we really have good players. We just wanted to remind everyone of that.”