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Young Warriors coach demands goals

Sport
NATIONAL Under-17 men’s soccer team coach Lloyd Chigove has demanded goals from his players when they take on Congo Brazzaville in the African Youth Championships second round first leg qualifier at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday.

NATIONAL Under-17 men’s soccer team coach Lloyd Chigove has demanded goals from his players when they take on Congo Brazzaville in the African Youth Championships second round first leg qualifier at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday.

Sports Reporter

The return leg is set for Brazzaville in two weeks’ time.

The Young Warriors qualified for the second round after a 4-2 aggregate win over Mozambique in the first round qualifier, while their weekend visitors were given a bye.

Congo Brazzaville are expected in the country this afternoon.

Chigove, who is expected to name his final 18 today, has emphasised on the need for goals.

“Our objective is to win by a big margin so that it will be easy for us when we go there for the reverse fixture. We have to convert all the chances that will come our way. The boys have been creating chances which is a good thing, but the conversion rate has been poor,” said Chigove.

The Young Warriors played two friendly matches against their Zambian counterparts in Lusaka last weekend in preparation for the match.

Although Zimbabwe lost the first and then forced a draw in the second match, Chigove drew a lot of positives from the matches.

“Those friendly matches helped us a lot. We are still fine-tuning our team and the matches showed us the areas we need to improve. We could have won those two matches comfortably, but the finishing was not what we wanted. We have been working on that aspect this week and I must say there is a big improvement,” said Chigove.

Congo Brazzaville are a known giant in this age group as they have competed in the Under-17 World Cup before, but Chigove is not intimidated.

“I don’t know much about the opposition besides the fact that they have participated in the World Cup. But if I look at my team, I think I have quality to match them. This is the team that has shown me that they can do it even under the toughest of conditions. We battled in Mozambique in difficult conditions and managed to come back with a win. It is that determination and focus that I think will carry the day for us,” said Chigove.