Nees proud of Warriors’ fighting spirit after holding Bafana Bafana to a draw
The 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier clash between Zimbabwe and South Africa offered an intriguing battle of contrasting motivations at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday evening.
For Bafana Bafana, the mission was clear, a victory was non-negotiable to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive. Meanwhile, The Warriors had little to play for in the Qualifiers but saw the encounter as a crucial test in preparation for the upcoming Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Both nations are placed in Group B, alongside Angola and Egypt, and Friday’s match carried more weight for the South Africans, who were under pressure to secure maximum points in front of a sold out affair. Zimbabwe, however, were determined to make their presence felt, and they did just that, frustrating the Bafana and walking away with a hard-fought draw.
Speaking at the post match press conference, Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees expressed satisfaction with his team’s spirited performance, highlighting both their team spirit and areas for improvement. ”We need to score more goals, that’s for sure. I think defensive wise we are quite stable. When we have transition moments maybe keeping the ball a little bit better, a little bit more determination in finishing.” Nees admitted.
The German tactician also pointed out the challenges his team faces due to limited preparation time, as many of his players are based abroad. “I must also say, when we collect the team together, because our teams comes from all over the world, we have two, sometimes only one training session. A team like South Africa they always have one or two more training sessions. It makes a difference.
You can work on aspects, we cannot really work on many aspects. Once we have the time, we can really work on that and I think then it will also improve certain aspects in our game.” he added.
Despite those challenges, Nees lauded his side’s fighting spirit and unity, qualities he believes form the foundation of their progress. “The basis of everything is mentality, there’s no doubt. If you’re not ready to give everything, if you’re not ready to fight, if you, for example, get the yellow card and you’re not ready to go the extra mile, you can train what you mind, you will not get the result you really aspire. I think that from the team, I do not question.”
“The team has absolute great character, they showed it from the beginning when we started last year the training in Uganda that was also challenging against Kenya. And then Cameroon, we just met basically and then we had to play and stick together and find the harmony and chemistry, which is not so easy.”
Despite limited preparation time, Nees was proud of the Warriors’ ability to match Bafana Bafana’s intensity and maintain their composure throughout the encounter. The draw serves as a confidence boost for Zimbabwe as they shift their focus towards AFCON, while for South Africa, it leaves more work to be done in their pursuit of a World Cup berth.
Zimbabwe will face Lesotho in their last qualifiers game at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Monday, while South Africa will square off against Rwanda in a must win clash at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday.