BY FORTUNE MBELE AFTER a month of enduring one setback after another, Warriors coach Norman Mapeza finally got some positive news after striker Prince Dube hit top form on his return from a long injury layoff.
Dube scored a brace in Azam’s 4-0 win over Green Warriors on Wednesday, which was his second match having been out for some months as the senior national team prepares for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Cameroon due next month.
Midfielder Never Tigere who also played for Azam was on target in that game scoring the third goal.
Bruce Kangwa also featured for Azam on Wednesday night.
The Warriors have already lost in attack with talisman Khama Billiat (retired), defenders Brendon Galloway (injury) and Tendai Darikwa, who chose not to be picked.
This week, Darikwa also pulled out after suffering a knee injury, adding to the list of absentees that already contained Marshal Munetsi, struggling with a hamstring injury.
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Dube scored his first goal on return in the 65th minute, connecting a Nicholas Wadada cross with a right foot inside the penalty box.
Then Tigere scored a beauty from a free-kick way outside the box, beating the Green Warriors’ goalkeeper all systems out.
Three minutes before the final whistle, Dube closed the chapter with a free header inside the box.
His agent Gibson Mahachi is excited that Dube is back after the long layoff and says if he is selected for the Warriors Afcon finals campaign, that would be a bonus for the former Highlanders striker.
“I am happy that he is back and he scored. If he is selected (for the Warriors) that would be best for him. He will be the happiest man but what is important for now is that he has bounced back. If he is selected for the Afcon finals, it would be a bonus for him,” Mahachi said.
Dube missed the last six World Cup qualifiers as he was sidelined by a hamstring injury and abdominal pains in his last game.
In his last game for the Warriors, he scored an all-important goal against Algeria in the Afcon qualifiers at the National Sports Stadium in November last year.
Mahachi said Dube went through hell during the injury spell.
He was operated on in September in South Africa after he picked up another injury during pre-season.
“It has been tough what the player has been going through and you can imagine the kind of support that he needs. He was going through hell and when you get injured it is a step back. He got injured when he was at his peak and there were a lot of inquiries on him. I made sure I supported him and made him believe,” Mahachi said.
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