Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Young Warriors were so GOOD on Wednesday night some fans are even calling for some of their stars to be drafted into the senior team.
Others are even saying their coach, Marc Sanchez, whose team’s tiki-taka display won the hearts of the local fans, should have been the Warriors coach.
Well, Monday night was supposed to be about undiluted celebrations, but it ended in chaos.
Wednesday night was supposed to be a glimpse into the future and it ended not only in celebrations of a win but about a beautiful style of football.
On Monday, the Warriors returned to the National Sports Stadium for the first time in five years.
They played in front of their beloved fans for the first time in seven years.
At first, the Covid-19 protocols kept the supporters away and then the unsuitability of the stadium to host international games kept the team away.
And, when the fans and their team finally returned in a 2027 AFCON qualifier against DRC on Monday night, only celebrations were expected.
Unfortunately, there was chaos outside the stadium just after kick-off which ended with the tragic death of one supporter.
Things didn’t go well on the field of play, too, with Ramon Catala’s boys losing 2-1 in the match to fall three points off the Group E pace after two match days.
DRC remain top of the standings on six points while Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea have three points each.
Sierra Leone are at the base, after losing both their opening games.
Some hooligans invaded the pitch at the sound of the final whistle on Monday with some being filmed tempering with water sprinklers.
While the sold out stadium for Monday’s game was the bigger picture, the isolated sad incidents dented the mood.
The baton was then passed to the Young Warriors.
Sanchez, the Under-23 coach, who is also the Warriors assistant coach, needed his team to do something to, at least, put the smiles back on the faces of the fans.
And, boy oh boy, they responded in style.
It was one of the dominant displays by a local national football team in years as they allowed Mauritius only one shot on target.
The only surprise is that the Young Warriors won the game 2-0.
Even if the scoreline had read Zimbabwe 5, Mauritius 0, one would still have got the feeling that it did not tell the true story of the Young Warriors’ dominance.
They displayed a beautiful brand of tiki-taka which captured the imagination of the fans.
The impressive David Chigwada, who is on the books of English Premiership side Brentford, and Nisbert Muzenda scored either side of halftime to seal the victory.
The return leg is set for Mauritius next Wednesday. The winners of the fixture over the two legs will face Mali in the second phase of the qualifiers.
What made the victory and the display even more enjoyable was the presence of players born outside Zimbabwe and playing across Europe and Australia.
The boys, some of whom had never been to Zimbabwe in their life, felt the love from the fans.
Chigwada, who had an outstanding game besides scoring the opening goal, said:
“The love we got from the fans is unparalleled.
“We never imagined that we would get that massive support.
“We are proud Zimbabweans and we are ready to represent the country at senior level.
“The boys are happy and the game was played in a friendly manner without any incidents.”
Chigwada, alongside Tafadzwa Gwanzura, sat on the Warriors substitutes bench on Monday meaning they are now already being eased into the senior structures.
