THE Mighty Warriors will tonight make their Olympic debut, when they face women football giants, Germany in a classic David versus Goliath match at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
BY HENRY MHARA
Kick-off is at 11pm and the match will be broadcast live on SABC and Supersport.
Germany, two-time world champions, who will be appearing at this stage for the fifth time, are heavy favourites to sweep aside the Shadreck Mlauzi-coached side, who are making their first appearance at a global competition.
Not only have the Mighty Warriors never appeared at this stage before, they have never even come close.
But tonight, they will proudly stroll into the 49 205-seater stadium, hoping to produce a shock akin to the hero of the Israelites, knocking out the best warrior the Philistines had to offer back in biblical times.
Mlauzi, speaking from Sao Paulo yesterday, admitted his side is the underdog going into this Group F match, but warned the Germans not to underestimate them.
“It’s going to be a difficult match, it’s our first time here and coincidentally, we are up against the second best team in the world, but we are hoping the girls will come through and compete at their level best.” he said.
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“It’s not going to be easy, but we are hoping to turn up and give the Germans a difficult match. At the same time, if they are not careful, we might produce a shocker.” Mighty Warriors’ preparations were shoddy, only playing one warm-up match against China at the weekend and losing 3-0.
“There are a number of lessons we got from that match. The physical difference was the major factor that contributed (to the defeat) because we struggled to defend high balls that were coming into our box. That is one area we have been working on. We were slow in the initial stages, the girls were a bit nervous, but after about 20 minutes, we got into our stride, and from there on we managed to match the Chinese,” Mlauzi said.
In contrast, Germany’s preparations were thorough, as expected, having played several friendlies, including a 11-0 win over Ghana at the weekend.
“We can’t afford any lapses of concentration at this stage. It is important that we are focused right from the start and try to play our usual game. They are very physical, have height and are strong in the air and because of their experience at this level, they are more likely to dominate possession, so we will have to sit back, absorb pressure and then, whenever we can, catch them on the break. We are organised defensively,” Mlauzi said.
Germany’s 23-year-old full-back, Leonie Maier was yesterday quoted on the German football association’s website giving her impressions of the match.
“We have never played against Zimbabwe before, so they will be a new opposition for us. We have seen a few videos of them play though. We are expecting a lot of athleticism and physical play considering it is an African team. There will be a lot of tackles. They will do everything they can to make our life difficult. We will have to stamp our authority on the game and have a strong will to win the match,” she said.
Germany will start as favourites, with many predicting an easy win, but the Mighty Warriors have nothing to lose in this match and perhaps in the whole tournament, and that could potentially make them dangerous, or at the very least, capable of making this more exciting than most would anticipate.
Zimbabwe’s next match is against Canada on Saturday at the same venue and kick-off is 8pm, before travelling to Salvador for their last group match against Australia on Tuesday. The match, to be played at the Fonte Nova Arena, will start at 9pm.
The top two teams and two best third-placed teams across the three groups of four will advance to the quarter-finals.
When asked about the team’s targets at the Games, Mlauzi said: “It’s not about going out there and winning the tournament because there is a big gap between us and the other teams here at the moment. We will try to stand our ground, to show that we are an emerging nation in terms of football development. We want to use this platform to gain experience for future tournaments.”
Mlauzi is unlikely to tinker much with the team that gave him victory over Cameroon and subsequently the ticket to the Olympics.
The team has a settled rearguard, with Chido Dzingirai almost assured of getting her place between the sticks, while vice-captain, Nobuhle Majika and Lynette Mutokuto have previously shown great understanding at the heart of defence.
Eunice Chibanda and Sheilla Makoto are likely to start as fullbacks.
Emmaculate Msipa has emerged as the team’s jewel and she will be expected to control proceedings in midfield, with the help of other seniors such as Marjory Nyaumwe and Talent Mandaza.
Rudo Neshamba is the team’s poster girl and is expected to start up top.
The Bulawayo-born striker possesses a lethal boot, which saw her finishing second on the scoring chart in the qualifiers in the Africa division.
She is one of the players to watch at this tournament.
Mighty Warriors probable line-up Chido Dzingirai, Eunice Chibanda, Nobuhle Majika, Lynette Mutokuto, Sheila Makoto, Talent Mandaza, Emmaculate Msipa, Felistas Muzongondi, Marjory Nyaumwe, Erina Jeke, Rudo Neshamba.
