Only group winners proceed to the next round and the Young Zebras now need a miracle to sail through because its pool has only three teams after Malawi pulled out. Botswana must bury the other opponent in the group ---Swaziland --- in an avalanche of goals and hope that Swazis defeat Zimbabwe. Despite having home ground advantage and backing of local supporters who came in impressive numbers, the Young Zebras looked lost and hopeless as dominant Zimbabwe controlled the game for long periods. The match played at the University of Botswana Stadium saw the hosts dominating possession in the opening stages. However, they failed to make their dominance count and were punished at the end of the first half when Zimbabwe netted against the run of play.
Concentration lapse by the Young Zebras in the final minutes of the first half saw Zimbabwe take the lead through Lincolin Zvasiya. The Botswana defence failed to pick him during a neat passing movement and the player wasted no time in giving Zimbabwe a 1-0 half time lead.
