ZIMBABWE . . . . . . . . . (2) 2 EGYPT . . . . . . . . . . .(0) 1 MIGHTY Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi was convinced his team is on course to do well at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations football finals in Cameroon in November following their victory over Egypt in a preparatory match at Rufaro Stadium yesterday.
BY HENRY MHARA
The two nations are in the same group, together with hosts Cameroon and neighbours South Africa.
In yesterday’s match, Mlauzi was forced to play a weakened side after some league teams released their players late for camp, which started on Sunday.
However, they were largely untroubled by an Egyptian side who only livened up in the second half.
Young Maud Mafuruse of Nyamauru High School in Manicaland opened the scoring for the Mighty Warriors after 13 minutes when she capitalised on a mistake by Egyptian keeper Maha Demerdash to head home from a Nobukhosi Ncube cross.
Tonderai Masango then turned brilliantly inside the box before firing past the stranded Demerdash for Zimbabwes’ second on 18 minutes, as the hosts took a comfortable lead into the half-time break
Mlauzi’s side, who had just one day to prepare for the match, however, slowed things in the second-half, allowing the visitors to have the ball and were eventually punished when substitute Aliaa Shovkry netted a spectacular goal, curling the ball from outside the box.
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“Egypt are a decent side with a few individuals that are technically good, but overall as a team they didn’t push us to the level that we expected,” Mlauzi observed after the match. “We respect them given that we will be in the same group, but in terms of the tactical and technical aspects that we had expected, they were lacking. But a lot can change in the course of the preparations, so we will see how it goes as we approach the finals. We will give them the due respect. Cameroon and South Africa would be difficult.”
Egypt coach Abdellatie Emam said: “Zimbabwe is a good team and we played a different type of game. We hope by the time we meet in Cameroon we will be better.”
Mlauzi trained with just 14 players, including three goalkeepers, for the match with the majority of the players arriving in camp on Monday evening after some teams, particularly Black Rhinos, had held on to their players in an apparent case of sabotage. The Rhinos players were introduced in the second half although they had not trained with the team.
Zimbabwe team: L Magwede, N Majika, N Ncube, D Bhobho, R Mutyavaviri, A Bhamu (T Mandaza, 61’), G Bhande (V Ndlovu, 61’), M Nyaumwe (S Chikoore, 68’), M Mafuruse (K Bhasopo, 50’), T Masango (R Makore, 50’), B Kabwe (P Mujuru, 68’)
