ZIMBABWE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) 1
KENYA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(0) 1
THEY came into this match against Kenya needing just a point to make it to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals and the Warriors got just that to qualify for the continental showcase for the fourth time on the trot.
Zimbabwe qualified for Afcon 2017, 2019, 2021 and now 2025, having missed last year’s edition due to a Fifa ban.
Michael Nees became the only other coach to lead the Warriors to Afcon after local coaches Sunday Chidzambga, Charles Mhlauri and Kalisto Pasuwa led the team to the continental jamboree.
Yesterday, young Tawanda Maswanhise scored his first competitive goal for the national team and it was a special one as it propelled the team to the Morocco finals.
Michael Olunga restored parity in the match in the second half, but Zimbabwe held on and threatened several occasions to take all three points.
Spurred on by a colourful crowd Zimbabwe produced a tidy performance to secure the point they needed.
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There had been an argument over why the team chose to play their home match in Polokwane, having drawn good crowds in Johannesburg.
Nees was vindicated for that decision as thousands turned out in party mood from first to last whistle.
Maswanhise scored for Zimbabwe after 32 minutes, but Olunga cancelled the goal out in the 51st minute.
It was a nervous match for Zimbabwe when Olunga scored after Gerald Takwara had made a mess of a harmless looking ball for the Kenyan to gladly tap it in and haul his team back into the contest.
He broke his collar bone and had to be stretchered out, forcing Nees to bring in Godknows Murwira.
After the goal, there was every chance of crumbling under the weight of pressure, but the gallant Warriors tightened at the back and Maswanhise’s pace was a menace upfront.
They had chances to bury the game in the second half, with Marshall Munetsi running himself rugged covering every blade of grass on the pitch.
Marvelous Nakamba made a big blunder in the opening minutes of the game, but recovered to play a blinder at the base of the midfield.
His blushes had been saved by Teenage Hadebe, who shut out the Kenyan strikers with a memorable performance.
Zimbabwe will now play Cameroon in their last Group J match, but they will only be fulfilling a fixture and probably playing to improve rankings
Nees thanked the fans for cheering the team on after the match.
"I want to thank the supporters who came today. It was a very good crowd. It was absolutely the right decision to come to Polokwane. The supporters really pushed us,” he said.
“It was a nervous start and we had a big blunder at the beginning when Marvelous was just not focused, but we had a spectacular tackle from Teenage Hadebe. The game could have gone totally different in that situation.
“It took us about 15 to 20 minutes to be in the game. We made mistakes with the ball. We could see a little bit of nervousness because the players knew what was at stake today. We got more and more better in the game and when the goal was scored, of course, it calms the nerves and we started to play.”
Added the German national: “In the second half, we came back more confident in the game and the goal we conceded happened out of nothing. At 1-1, it became a mental game, nervous game, they tried long balls upfront, but we had chances to finish off the game.
“In the end, we deserved a point which we wanted. All our objectives set out three months ago, we achieved that with one game to spare, so we can be happy.”
On convincing Khama to return and lead the team to qualification, Nees said: “When I watched all the Warriors games, I always felt that there is a player missing behind the striker, someone who can make the difference. They were all good footballers, very powerful, but I wanted something like a creative heart which was missing.
“I observed how Khama perform in Zimbabwe and I approached him. These players and others you have talked about have conditions and they are not about money. They have conditions that things around the team should be run professionally. They don’t want to come out of retirement and one month later, they retire again.”
He added: “We started with Maswanhise. He is in good shape, he is scoring goals and making assists for his club. Yes, he is a short guy, but in attack. Sometimes it’s an advantage with a player who is more mobile and agile against tall
guys.”
