BY TERRY MADYAUTA
WARRIORS coach Zdravko Logarušić has thrust himself and his employers Zifa under intense pressure after he presided over the team’s worst show at the Cosafa Cup as they ended winless with the defeat to Senegal yesterday sealing their fate.
The soundtrack now is about Zifa getting rid of the Croatian.
At the Cosafa Cup, Logarušić had shot at redeeming his reputation and prove that he was competent enough for the task.
The 56-year-old has courted the ire of Warriors fans considering that he has only won one match out of 12 since his arrival.
But it is not just his future that has become a source of speculation. Even the competence of his two assistant coaches, Tonderai Ndiraya and Lloyd Chitembwe, is now questionable, especially in the light of their dubious squad selection.
The Warriors exited the tournament after losing their final Group B tie 2-1 at the hands of guest nation Senegal yesterday afternoon in South Africa.
In this one, the Croat and his lieutenants showed their desperation to please the fans and the media after dropping Washington Arubi, Jimmy Dzingai and Ovidy Karuru whose selection for such a tournament had been questioned.
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The media questioned why Loga was fielding the veteran trio at a tournament where he has said he is looking into the future.
Although they were the first to score through Qadr Amini from a penalty kick in the second minute of the match, they spent the better part of the tie under extreme pressure from the west Africans, who showed composure and tact to claw back into the match after conceding early.
And their two goals from Abdoul Ndoye and Mohamed Mba were enough to keep their hopes of a semi-final appearance, yet also exposing Logarušić’s shortfalls, as he continued with his awful run that has only, but turned the Warriors into a regional laughing stock.
The defeat means Zimbabwe left the tourney with two points on their tally, out of a possible 12.
Despite being at the stinging end of criticism for his poor records, Logarušić refused to take blame for the poor display in the Cosafa tournament.
He instead blamed fatigue for the team’s failure to reach a respectable stage.
“We started the match well but fatigue creeped in and Senegal managed to come back into the match.
“We played a number of games in a short space of time and this was too much for the players who have not played football in a long time,” he said.
In fact, he is looking ahead for the World Cup qualifiers slated for September.
“I managed to identify three players who will be part of the national team for the World Cup qualifiers. The other players will form the spine of the Chan qualifiers,” he added.
Senegal could have won the match with a bigger margin had it not been for the individual brilliance of Warriors goalminder Martin Mapisa who repelled multiple efforts, especially in the second half.
In fact, Mapisa was the busiest of the two goalkeepers as he was left exposed on several occasions throughout the match.
Warriors line-up
M Mapisa, L Mucheto, Q Amini, S Nyahwa, C Mavhurume, M Mkolo (A Mbeba 63 min), B Musaka, B Sarupinda, B Banda (O Karuru 63min), R Hachiro, D Murimba (K Nadolo 71 min)
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