dyton mupawaenda
Bruce Chikuni in JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
MIGHTY Warriors midfielder, Ennety Chemhere feels Zimbabwe’s lengthy absence in international football has been their motivation in the ongoing COSAFA Women’s Cup.
Today they face their biggest test, a semi-final against defending champions Zambia at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Chemhere flexed her muscles to power Zimbabwe into the semi-finals following a 1-1 draw against Botswana on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old was a notable inclusion in that first XI as it was her first start of the competition having featured in the previous two fixtures from the bench.
And Chemhere seemed to have read Mlauzi’s script as she opened the scoring after just four minutes with a well-directed header.
Chemhere told Zimpapers Sports that her decent show was a token of appreciation to Mlauzi for believing in her.
“First and foremost I want to thank God for this opportunity to represent this country, it has always been my wish and I was very happy to be the scorer of a goal that had such impact in determining our future in this tournament.
“I also want to thank the coach for trusting me with the opportunity and I think he was going to regret making that decision had we lost against Botswana.
“When we came to South Africa for this competition, a lot was said about this team since we were not playing international football for a long time, and we have used that to motivate ourselves to make them realise that we have what it takes to perform at any level and anytime,” said Chemhere.
Mlauzi says his mission is to give everyone a chance to showcase what they can offer particularly the youngsters.
“It’s a competition which we have always been ranked among the favourites and that gives you pressure to avoid gambling on youngsters.
“But, I think coming from where we are coming from, it lowered the expectations and it has enabled us to invest more trust in our youngsters.
“I’m not implying that we are not targeting to bring it home but if we can progress to the semi-finals with a youthful squad then it shows how much potential as a country.
“And, I’m really impressed with how they have been performing it also encourages you to bring on those who are still yet to play,” said Mlauzi.
Online Reporter