MIGHTY Warriors are desperate to put on a flawless performance against Cameroon in their final Group A match of the African Women Cup of Nations at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjio in Yaounde this afternoon, as they seek an unlikely progression to the semi-finals of the football competition.
BY HENRY MHARA IN YAOUNDE, CAMEROUN
“The players suffered a mental blow against Egypt and it’s something that we are working on,” coach, Shadreck Mlauzi said.
“We keep working to make the players believe that we can beat Cameroon. We just have to be at the best we can be. I know we can play way better than we have done this far. Our performance in the last two matches could not be enough to take us through. We have to double up that performance. We just have to be at our best.”
The Mighty Warriors sit on third position in the group with a point following their goalless draw with South Africa in their opening match on Friday, which they followed up with a 1-0 defeat to Egypt on Tuesday, albeit in controversial circumstances.
Zimbabwe were denied what looked like a genuine goal for an equaliser by inconsistent Burundian referee, Suavis Iratunga. They have since lodged a complaint over the manner the match was handled.
Mlauzi’s charges need to overcome the hosts, who are high in confidence following their opening two wins against South Africa and Egypt, to progress to the next stage.
While the hosts have looked indomitable so far, Zimbabwe’s biggest challenge now may not, in fact, lie in the identity of their opponents, but rather in their own minds.
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They will also have to shake off Tuesday’s disappointment, and keep the belief.
Zimbabwe beat Cameroon to qualify for the Brazil Olympics in August and that famous triumph is a big reason for the Mighty Warriors not to throw in the towel.
The heartbreak on Tuesday, which Mlauzi has even alleged to be a Caf conspiracy to propel Egypt in this competition at the expense of his side, also provides additional motivation for the team to do well.
“We have done it before and we can still do it. In football, you need to keep believing. Should we win against Cameroon, there are possibilities that South Africa can win against Egypt and we can be tied on four points. So any team can still qualify. The important thing is to believe in ourselves that we can beat them,” said Mlauzi.
For Zimbabwe to qualify, they need to win today’s match by a wide margin and hope that South Africa, also on one point, narrowly beat Egypt, who are on three points.
The two matches will be played concurrently.
That sequence of results would see Zimbabwe sneaking into the semi-finals as Group A runners-up together with winners Cameroon.
The Mighty Warriors could miss their skipper, Talent Mandaza in today’s match after she picked a knock on her knee against Egypt.
Kick-off is 5pm Zimbabwe time.
