BY HENRY MHARA WARRIORS midfielder Ishamel Wadi has called on the team to be ruthless in front of goal to have the chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament currently underway in Cameroon.
Zimbabwe, who lost their opening Group B match against Senegal on Monday, play Malawi in their second match tomorrow before concluding their group campaign against Guinea on Tuesday.
The clash against the Flames of Malawi kicks off at 6pm Zimbabwe time in Bafoussam
The Norman Mapeza-coached side charmed the world with a gritty performance against Senegal and were seconds away from collecting a precious point against the continent’s top ranked team, but Sadio Mane’s late penalty broke their hearts.
That defeat left the Warriors with all to do in their remaining matches, which they need to win to be sure of progressing to the knockout stage.
“We need to be clinical in front of goal and we have to create more chances than we did against Senegal,” Wadi said.
Zimbabwe matched the star-studded Senegal side pound for pound, especially in the second half of the game.
They managed to create decent chances, but could not take them, which has been the team’s major weakness in recent times.
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The Warriors have scored just two goals in their last eight matches, one which was a penalty.
“We worked hard against Senegal, but for the Malawi game, I think we need to put 20% more effort for us to win the game,” Wadi said.
The former Caps United player was lively for Zimbabwe with his darting runs on the wings, causing problems for Senegal. He believes he can do much better.
“Personally, I think I can do better in terms of being clinical and make better decisions in the final third. We need to continue working hard as a team, just like we did against Senegal. If we can do that, we will achieve our goal.”
He added: “The ultimate goal for us is to qualify to the next stage and I believe its achievable. I believe in the team to meet that target.”
Prince Dube was given the nod to lead the strike force against Senegal, but the former Highlanders star was generally off colour and was replaced at half-time by Tino Kadewere, who didn’t do much either.
Other strikers at Mapeza’s disposal are David Moyo and Admiral Muskwe, both expected to play a part in the remaining two matches.
The availability of utility player Jordan Zemura for the Malawi match can mean some changes to the Warriors line-up.
The Bournemouth star, who had been holed up in England due to COVID-19-related issues, arrived in Cameroon yesterday and is expected to walk straight into the team.
There are also injury concerns for skipper Knowledge Musona and Kundai Benyu.
Both players were hauled off in the second half of the Senegal match with knocks and subsequently sat out the Warriors’ training session on Tuesday. They were expected to rejoin the team in training yesterday.
Two top teams from each group will automatically qualify to the knockout stage, while the four highest ranked third-place teams will also join them in the last 16 stage.
Zimbabwe has never gone beyond the group stages in their last four appearances at the Afcon finals.
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