ZIMBABWE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
KENYA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
WARRIORS new coach Michael Nees has said he was satisfied with his team’s performance in his first game in charge after they held bogey side Kenya in an Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group J opener played at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, yesterday.
A scrappy affair low on quality saw the Warriors dominating the first half, but lacked a cutting edge in the final third.
Kenya enjoyed more possession in the second half, with the hosts showing more energy and intensity, but could not really trouble Washington Arubi in goals for Zimbabwe.
“We played a team which has spent a long time with their coach, so they have a lot of chemistry,” the German national said.
“We expected them to play their way, to track us down and overplay us and then use their physical strength. I’m satisfied with my team’s performance. We were a bit shaky at the beginning.
“We didn’t look as fresh and sharp as at training. But the longer the game went on, the better we settled. It was a good performance, but not a great performance. This game was the most difficult coaching challenge I have had so far. Not because of the coaching itself. We only trained with the full squad for two days. The danger is that I was going to overload the players and they forget everything.”
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Added Nees: “We created some chances, but of course, our game can be much more improved, but overall, I’m satisfied because of the time that was available. The boys did their best and there was no possible way they could do. With a bit of luck, we could have scored. Our opponents also had chances, so it could have gone both ways.”
Nees had praise for the returning Khama Billiat, who showed some flashes of his usual brilliance throughout the match.
“Khama Billiat was for me the best man in the game. He pressed well, he won balls, he helped in defence and on the counter attack. You can’t ask for more. He played really great and if we had managed to get more control of the game, he was going to give us much more. Overall, the whole team played to their limit, to what was possible.”
Kenya coach Engin Firat said the draw was due to the absence of eight regular players, including talismanic captains Michael Olunga, who missed the game through injury.
“Last time, he (Olunga) scored three goals against Zimbabwe, so he is a special player. A goalless draw is not the result we wanted. We wanted to win,” Firat said.
Nees named Billiat in the starting line-up and the Yadah star was a bright spark in the team early on as the Warriors began confidently, showing good composure on the ball in the opening exchanges.
The visitors created the first chance two minutes into the match when Billiat exchanged passes with Jordan Zemura and Prince Dube, who crossed for Walter Musona, who was a second late to the ball.
That set the tone for the first half as Billiat once again fed Musona with a high ball over the defence, which the winger could not connect.
Nees’ men were in control at this point and should have gone in front in the 38th minute.
Billiat beat Kenyan keeper Bryne Omondi to the ball before squaring it to Marshal Munetsi, who couldn’t sort his feet in time.
The ball fell on to Zemura, whose shot from inside the box was blocked by a defender on the line.
Dube was next to waste a glorious chance after he was released by Billiat on goal, but shot straight at the keeper.
Kenya started the second half with more intensity, with Eric Otieno causing a lot of problems to Warriors rightback Godknows Murwira.
The winger beat his marker on 73 minutes, but his cross found no takers.
But for all their possession, Kenya almost conceded in the 80th minute when substitute Tawanda Maswanhise got to an end of a loose ball inside the box, but his shot was blocked.
At the other end, Arubi came to the Warriors’ rescue when he brilliantly blocked Otieno’s shot from a one-on-one situation after the winger had wriggled through on goal.
Zimbabwe had a chance to nick a goal at the death after Kenya goalkeeper spilled a harmless looking Zemura cross, but Munetsi was flat-footed and didn’t react quickly to pounce.
In the end, a draw was probably a fair result as the two teams picked a point each in the first game of their campaign towards the 2025 Morocco Afcon finals.
Zimbabwe face Cameroon in their next qualifier on Tuesday at the same venue, while Kenya travel to Namibia.
Teams
Kenya: B Omondi, J Okumu, S Ahono, A Otieno (A Obiero, 20’), A Agay, A Otieno, D Abuya, R Odada, A Otieno, R Onyango, E Omondi (C Otieno, 67’)
Zimbabwe: W Arubi, G Takwara, J Zemura, M Garananga, G Murwira, M Munetsi, A Rinomhota, K Billiat, T Chirewa (D Msendami, 58’), W Musona (T Maswanhise, 58’), P Dube (D Mapfumo, 81’)
