At the time of going to press, the victory against Burundi had taken the Zebras to second place as the game in the group between Egypt and Mauritania had not kicked off. The Zebras have themselves to blame for not beating Burundi with a convincing margin because of their negative approach. Instead of using home advantage and going for the kill, national coach Colwyn Rowe decided to deploy defensive tactics. From the onset, it was clear that Uniao Flamengo Santos' nippy midfielder, Vincent Phiri was struggling but the technical team decided to keep him in the field until the second half. Upfront, the combination of Jerome Ramatlhakwana and Diphetogo Selolwane looked out of sorts and the technical bench should have reacted earlier. In the opening half, the Zebras hardly threatened the visitors with Phiri and Ramatlhakwana fluffing chances. Burundi's bustling striker Selemani Musaba had the Zebras' defence in trouble whenever he was in possession. At the back, Valery Nahayo kept things in shape while Elvis Banyihwabe controlled the proceedings.
After the break, the Burundians tried to unsettle the Zebras and get an early goal and Musaba tested Zebras' goalkeeper Modiri Marumo with a shot. The Zebras' moment of truth came in the 65th minute when substitute Thato Siska scored with a header from a telling free-kick by Selolwane. At the moment, it seems Siska cannot stop scoring and could have started the game ahead of Ramatlhakwana. The Zebras could have increased the score in the 68th minute had Selolwane reacted fast to substitute Joel Mogorosi's pass. Mogorosi's speed created problems for the visitors. He had supporters on their toes whenever he was in possession.
