dyton mupawaenda
Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter
THEY were key players in the Young Warriors side that picked silver in the Under-20 COSAFA tournament played in Zambia four years ago.
Andrew Mbeba was the captain of that talented outfit, and he was partnering Sheasham defender Leonard Jani at centre-back.
Munashe Garan’anga, then plying his trade in the South African first division, was as important as they come, playing at any defensive position.
With Dynamos vice-captain Emmanuel Jalai the preferred right-back in that set-up, Garan’anga was mostly deployed at left-back and sometimes twinned Mbeba at the heart of defence.
The Young Warriors bookmarked their presence at this regional tournament by eliminating the hosts in the semi-finals to set up a Limpopo derby final against South Africa.
They couldn’t pull through and eventually settled for silver.
Then, still just 18 years-old and Garan’anga’s junior by a year, Mbeba had just graduated from the Highlanders development team into the senior squad.
He signed off the season in style, winning the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League’s Rookie of the Year award.
Nicknamed the “Tower” due to his lanky frame, Mbeba is still at Bosso and has had his best season for the Bulawayo giants this year, scoring three goals in the league and weighing in with a massive 12 assists.
That he is a defender, playing right-back after coach Baltemar Brito moved him there midway through last season makes his numbers even more appealing.
Garan’anga is now playing for Sheriff Tiraspol in the Moldovan top-flight and is the only Zimbabwean player participating in the UEFA Champions League right now.
And last week the two found themselves in the senior national team hunting for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
Zimbabwe played draws in the opening two games of the campaign against Rwanda (0-0) and Nigeria (1-1) at Huye Stadium in Butare.
Both fixtures were staged at the same venue with Zimbabwe the home team in the match against Nigeria due to the unavailability of a CAF approved ground in the country.
Mbeba started both games, showing nerves in the first but standing firm in the second.
Garan’anga was on the bench in the first game before he replaced Prince Dube 69 minutes into the second game.
“It really feels good that after just four years playing for the Young Warriors, I am called into the senior team,” said Mbeba.
“The first game for me was a learning curve and I took the second against Nigeria as an opportunity to prove my worth.
“I am happy I managed to do that. Probably my best moment in the game was clearing a goal bound Nigerian effort right on the line. I would like to thank the coach Brito and his assistants for keeping their faith in me.
“I am also happy that this team has no strangers. I have played with most of these guys at a different stage. But the most memorable experience donning my country’s jersey was at the U20 Cosafa competition in Zambia four years ago.
“We had the likes of Garan’anga (Munashe) and we really had a very good time. We almost won it but even with the second place that we attained, we were very happy”.
Garan’anga, who seemed to be fitting well in the team when he came on against Nigeria forming a union with veterans Teenage Hadebe and Gerald Takwara when the team shifted from a 4-3-3 structure to a 3-5-2 formation said having some of his role models and even his former captain Mbeba around made things easy for him.
“Getting a call up was a special moment for me and my family and all the people who’ve helped me to get to this point. I would like to thank God for this opportunity,” Garan’anga said.
“I felt very good coming to be with players I grew up watching ever since I was young. Joining a set-up that had my former Young Warriors captain Andrew Mbeba even made it easier.
“Everyone was so good with me. That was really nice, the training sessions were also good.
The quality is there and atmosphere was also good. The 20th of November will forever remain special for me because I played my first minutes at this level of the game.
“I can’t describe the feeling. I am very happy because I was able to help the team when I was asked to”.
The big defender said Zimbabwe stood a very good chance of qualifying for the World Cup with the right mentality.
“I think we have a lot of good quality players to deliver the nation to the World Cup.
“But we should just take it one game at a time and see what happens,” he said
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter