For those still confident of Zimbabwe’s qualification for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations soccer finals, Warriors coach Norman Mapeza believes that even nine points from the last three games might not be enough to secure a ticket to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Mapeza spoke to Cafonline in Bamako, Mali, on Saturday after the Warriors went down 1-0 to the hosts to remain in the third place with two points from three games.
“It is true that we have just two points after three matches and the team on top in our group has seven points. The equation is simple and quick to make with regard to what we need to do. We have to first win our two home games and the final one away to even dream of an outside chance of qualification. I think it is still possible and we will do all we can to try and qualify.”
Cape Verde have seven points and need to lose at least a game while the Warriors win to give Zimbabwe only their third appearance in the bi-annual competition.
Despite the win, Mali coach Alain Giresse said his side needed to do more if they are to beat the Warriors in Harare on June 5 after being impressed by the Zimbabweans’ performance in the second half.
After that Zimbabwe play host to Liberia before travelling to Cape Verde, who beat Liberia 4-2 on Saturday, to finish off the campaign.
“We were playing a good team that had its chances and was able to counter our offensive play. I think each team had its own dominant half.
“We were on top in the first and they dominated the second. We must move forward if we must qualify,” Giresse told Cafonline after the match. He pointed out that even with four attackers in the game, they could not break down the Zimbabwe defence.
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“We saw a more cautious Zimbabwean team in the first half. For us that meant we had little space and few opportunities, forcing us to patiently keep the ball. We used a lot of energy in the first half of the match and squandered several scoring opportunities.
“The Zimbabweans benefited from our change of rhythm after half-time because they had more energy reserves than us. As the match went on our play gradually lost its consistency.
“We did not play the match as we had hoped. We can and must do better if we want to be part of the ACN (Africa Cup of Nations) finals in January 2012. We need to make the most of the chances we create. The next game will be very crucial as we travel to Harare while Cape Verde, who top our group, travel to Liberia. We will have to win our match if we do not want to open the door for Cape Verde to qualify. Anything is possible, but we have to fight. From here onwards every match will be crucial,” Giresse added.
