Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Warriors have settled into Morocco’s biting winter and are down to their final touches as they prepare for their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) opener against Egypt at the Stade d’Agadir tomorrow night.
The biennial tournament kicks off today, with hosts Morocco facing Comoros in Rabat to set the competition in motion.
Zimbabwe, drawn in Group B alongside the Pharaohs, South Africa and Angola, will open their campaign against Egypt for the third time in 21 years.
Marian “Mario” Marinica and his squad moved base to Agadir from Casablanca, where they had camped since arriving in Morocco on Tuesday.
They held an initial training session after the road trip and will round off preparations with focused drills today before tomorrow’s clash with the Egyptians.
History weighs heavily on this fixture.
Zimbabwe have faced Egypt at this stage twice before, in 2004 and 2019, losing narrowly on both occasions, and they will be keen to rewrite that script when they step onto the Stade d’Agadir turf.
At their AFCON debut in Tunisia 21 years ago, the Warriors lost their opening group match 2-1 to Egypt and eventually exited at the pool stage.
Fifteen years later, Zimbabwe again opened the finals against the same opponents, suffering a 1-0 defeat at the 2019 tournament staged in Egypt. As in 2004, the Warriors bowed out in the group stages.
Marinica knows the opening match can shape the entire campaign and is determined to steer the team away from familiar endings.
The Romanian understands the terrain well, having guided Malawi to the Round of 16 at the 2021 AFCON finals, played in 2022, in Cameroon.
That achievement makes him the first coach to take Zimbabwe to the AFCON finals with a knockout-stage appearance already on his curriculum vitae.
Zimbabwe’s history at the continental showpiece has been unkind, with Sunday Chidzambwa in 2004 and 2019, Charles Mhlauri in 2006, Kalisto Pasuwa in 2017 and Norman Mapeza in 2021 all failing to take the Warriors beyond the group stages.
It also means Marinica is the first foreign coach to lead Zimbabwe at AFCON finals.
The former Liberia gaffer admits Group B is loaded with quality and accepts Zimbabwe’s underdog status.
He, however, insists it should not weigh on his players.
“I do know that this is a tough group that we are in. Egypt is a big team, the most successful team in Africa at this stage. We also have South Africa, which of late has shown that they can be a giant in African football. Angola also has big names and good players playing abroad. We know for sure that the games will be very tough for us,” said Marinica.
“But we are going to compete. We have a strategy that we will implement as a team. We are not just there to participate. We need to compete. That is the reason why we are in Morocco. Other than competition, we wouldn’t have been in Morocco.
“The players are in high spirits, and we are looking forward to seeing them giving their best in the field of play.”
The Warriors suffered a late setback on Friday when midfielder Andy Rinomhota withdrew from camp due to family issues.
The Reading player will not be replaced, with CAF regulations only allowing squad changes after the group stages.
Captain Marvelous Nakamba, however, is choosing focus over frustration, rallying his teammates to empty the tank against Egypt and give the campaign real momentum from the first whistle.
