The Africa Cup of Nations’ qualifications are coming to an end, and the list of qualifiers is soon to be complete. As far as Zimbabwe is concerned, it’s time to book the ticket to Cameroon after the Warriors defeated the Zebras of Botswana 1–0 and secured position number two in Group H.
The match took place at Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown, but even though this was a home game for the Zebras, they couldn’t secure a win. In case you’d like to stay tuned to the upcoming matches, or any other sports event for that matter, you can easily do so by following Sportsbet in Zimbabwe. But, if you want to know more about the way Zimbabwe secured the trip to Cameroon, by all means, read the full match report below.
Zimbabwe Scores to Secure the AFCON FinalsThe game between Zimbabwe and Botswana ended in a win for the Warriors thanks to the goal from 27-year-old Perfect Chikwende after only 14 minutes of play.Both teams went for the 4-1-4-1 formation; only the Warriors had a better-planned strategy of using it to their advantage. The Zimbabwe team needed eight minutes to take its first shot through a free-kick, but Knowledge Musona failed to draw on the opportunity to score.
Luckily, the team got another chance only six minutes later, and Musona didn’t disappoint this time. He assisted Perfect Chikwende, whose goal turned out to be crucial for securing a place among AFCON qualifiers.
Players from Botswana tried their best to get back into the game but, unfortunately, weren’t able to go through the Warriors’ solid defense. And even though the Zebras maintained the pressure throughout the second half of the match, they couldn’t make any progress or turn things around in any way.
Although the Warriors didn’t do much either after their first and only goal, the final result was enough to help them reach the continental finals in Cameroon.
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The referee didn’t want the match to get too rough if we are to judge by the total number of yellow cards shown. He showed the Warriors of Zimbabwe two yellow cards, and the players who got the warning include Terrence Dzvukamanja and Jimmy Dzingai.
On the other side, he showed three yellow cards. Mosha Gaolaolwe, Simisani Mathumo, Thatayaone Kgamanyane were the ones who needed to slow down and go easy on the Warriors.
Final Group Match Without Competitive ValueAs a part of Group H, Zimbabwe had to play hard and do its best against Zambia, Botswana, and the current champion Algeria that easily reached the top of the table with 11 points. After the win over Botswana, Zimbabwe finished second with a total of eight points, leaving Botswana and Zambia behind with four points each.
Since the Warriors already qualified, the last game between Zimbabwe and Zambia will make no difference for either of the teams. Similarly, the match between Algeria and Botswana can’t endanger Zimbabwe, as the Zebras would still have a point less than the Warriors.
When it comes to Zimbabwe, this will be their fifth Nations Cup appearance, as they managed to qualify in 2004, 2006, 2017, and 2019. Yet, the Warriors have never had any major success in these competitions.
What Can We Expect From the Warriors in the Future?Zdravko Logarusic, the Warriors’ coach, considers the match against Botswana a great success, primarily because he’s been heavily criticized after Zimbabwe lost all the matches at Chan 2021. Hopefully, the Warriors learned their lesson and realized what areas of the game they need to work on to finally thrive and realize their full potential.
