ZIMBABWE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 2
COMOROS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) 3
THE Young Warriors of Zimbabwe have been eliminated from the Cosafa Cup, suffering a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Comoros at Ngoni Stadium yesterday.
The loss means Zimbabwe finish the group stage with only one point, ending their tournament run early.
Head coach Thulani Sibanda expressed his frustration, highlighting the team’s missed opportunities and defensive errors.
“You saw the goals that we conceded,” he said.
“Just look at the three goals, even social soccer players can defend those goals.”
He pointed to a costly clearance error by Ainsley Murapa in the 12th minute that led to the opening goal from Kaisi Ali.
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Sibanda added that the tournament had revealed the true qualities of some of his players.
He also lamented the limited time he had to select and train the squad, which he believes prevented the team from developing chemistry.
“There are players that will take time to express themselves,” he said.
“If you have a longer time to select players, you can see all of them.
“If the time is short, you will only see the extroverts.”
Zimbabwe briefly fought back in the second half.
In the 58th minute, El Shaddai Sadomba scored a crucial equaliser after receiving a penetrating pass.
Shortly after, Zimbabwe took the lead when a shot from Seth Musarapachena was deflected by a Comoros defender for an own goal.
However, defensive lapses and fatigue soon set in for the Young Warriors, and Comoros capitalised with goals in the 75th and 83rd minutes to secure the victory.
Sibanda stressed the need for a longer training period to allow the players to build an understanding with each other.
“Maybe a longer period of training, so that these boys understand each other,” he said.
“That is a fact. So that even some of the weaknesses, you see them way before the tournament.”
The coach concluded by noting a significant difference between the teams: Zimbabwe lacks competitive academies to develop players, while their opponents’ players benefit from training in French academies.
