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EMBARRASSMENT! Warriors crash out of Cosafa

Sport
The Warriors proved too strong for Seychelles, as they hammered the Islanders at the Sam Nujoma Stadium last night, but still crashed out of the Cosafa Cup after Swaziland beat Madagascar 1-0 at the Independence Stadium to top Group A and qualify for the quarter-finals.

Zimbabwe . . . . . (2) 5 Seychelles . . . . . . 0

The Warriors proved too strong for Seychelles, as they hammered the Islanders at the Sam Nujoma Stadium last night, but still crashed out of the Cosafa Cup after Swaziland beat Madagascar 1-0 at the Independence Stadium to top Group A and qualify for the quarter-finals.

BY SPORTS REPORTER

Warriors during their afternoon training session at Gateway school yesterday

Lawrence Mhlanga netted a double, and Ronald Pfumbidzai converted from penalty, while Teenage Hadebe and Marshall Mudehwe weighed in with two goals, but it proved in vain.

In the end, the Kalisto Pasuwa-coached side’s two draws against Swaziland and Madagascar in the opening matches came back to haunt them, as they once again crashed out at the group stages of the competition for the second consecutive year.

With the huge win, Zimbabwe finished second in the group with five points, three behind Swaziland, who will meet Zambia in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

Madagascar finished third in the group also on five points, but with an inferior goal difference to Zimbabwe’s, while Seychelles return home with nothing to show for their efforts at the tournament.

Needing to win by five clear goals and hoping the match between Swaziland and Madagascar ended in a goalless draw, the Warriors had the perfect start to the match when Pfumbidzai converted from the penalty spot for his second goal of the tournament.

The Warriors continued to create chances, with strike partners Charlton Mashumba and Obadiah Tarumbwa failing to connect home with headed efforts.

They continued to ask questions of the Seychelles defence and were eventually rewarded when Mudehwe increased his team’s advantage with a header from a Pfumbidzai cross in the 37th minute, as the Warriors went to the break leading by two goals and needing three more.

Tarumbwa continued to miss clearcut chances that were falling his way, failing to finish off a low cross from Mudehwe before his header was cleared off the line.

He was replaced by Talent Chawapihwa just before the hour mark.

Zimbabwe were 3-0 up in the 64th minute when Mhlanga, who was a late change to the starting lineup after Elisha Muroiwa picked an injury during warm-up, thundered home from a corner.

Ten minutes later, Pasuwa’s men increased their lead from yet another corner, this time, Hadebe connecting his header past the Seychelles keeper.

The goal arrived at almost the same time that Swaziland’s Felix Badenhorst had given his team the all-important goal, with his fifth goal of the tournament.

Mhlanga got his second goal and the fifth for Zimbabwe, which they all thought was enough to qualify, but with Swaziland winning their match, the goal and the huge scoreline, were all in vain.

Zimbabwe XI: T Mukuruva, L Mhlanga, H Zvirekwi, T Mudehwe, N Masuku, O Tarumbwa (T Chawapiwa, 57’), T Hadebe (B Moyo, 82’), B Kangwa, T Kutinyu (R Manuvire, 72’), R Pfumbidzai, C Mashumba