The Blizzard: Zimbabwe 4-1 South Africa, 1992

On today’s episode of Greatest Games, in association with The Blizzard, we look back to a match that represented a symbolic moment in the modern histories of two nations. The Sunday Times’ Ian Hawkey joins us to discuss Zimbabwe's first qualifying fixture for the 2014 African Cup of Nations, a match played in his then-local Harare.

Bruce Grobbelaar, who hadn’t represented his native Zimbabwe for several years, was called up on the same weekend that the Premier League began and a bench spot under new signing David James beckoned. He decided to fly to Harare just three days before the game and, after much political deliberation around his dual citizenship status, he was allowed to play. This strengthened the side’s Premier League connection, as Coventry City’s Peter Ndlovu also played for the country and excelled in this game.

This marked the arrival of Zimbabwe’s ‘Dream Team’, a national side that will be remembered with a folkloric appreciation, as they dismantled a new-look South Africa side in front of nearly 50,000 fans in their national stadium and set their sights on a historic international achievement.

For more stories from the annals of football history, visit www.theblizzard.co.uk to explore their archives that contain over 700 articles of stories just like this one!

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.