Immortal Warriors

Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE’S defensive fortress was breached for the first time on Saturday night, a minute short of six hours of impregnability, but that could not stop the Warriors from writing another thrilling chapter in an historic 2014 CHAN adventure that has charmed an entire nation.
Ian Gorowa and his gallant Warriors were just a minute short of completing six hours without conceding a goal at the CHAN finals when Mali’s Hamidou Sinayoko broke their defence line with a late goal at the Cape Town Stadium.

Incredibly, it was only the second goal the Warriors have conceded in eight matches, stretching over 12 hours, in the 2014 CHAN games dating back from the qualifying stages when they played Mauritius and Zambia.

Such has been the impressive strength of Gorowa’s defensive fortress that his Warriors have conceded goals, in this CHAN campaign, at an average of a goal every six hours.

Interestingly, the Warriors defensive line in South Africa was only breached on Saturday night after Gorowa had beefed-up his defence by throwing in an extra man, Felix Chindungwe, as he went for protection, in the dying stages of the game, to shield his lead.

Such has been their emphasis on a no-holds-barred defence that there was huge disappointment within the coaching staff that the Malians found a way to break their security wall.

“We were not happy conceding that goal, what actually happened in the build-up leading to that goal,” said Gorowa, who discussed that defensive breach with ‘keepers coach Gift Muzadzi shortly after the match.

It’s a sign of the progress that this team has made that a single goal conceded, in a winning cause, was the subject of an immediate enquiry within the coaching staff with Gorowa and Muzadzi suspending their celebrations to look at that defensive shortcoming.

For once, in this tournament, the Warriors exposed their ’keeper George Chigova on a number of occasions with Lassina Diara blasting over, when clean through, in the 45th minute, the ’keeper saving well with his foot in the second half after Partson Jaure had failed to clear and Sinayoko also missing another great chance.

But the bar was always going to rise, now that this was a quarter-final and the opponents had topped a group that featured hosts South Africa and Nigeria.

However, on a balance of scale, the Warriors were the better team, playing as a unit, and were deserved winners of this contest and will walk into the semi-finals with a spring in their step knowing that if they can beat a team as tough as Mali, they can be a match for any opponent.

Gorowa trusted Simba Sithole to lead his attack and was repaid for his faith in the forward after the How Mine striker produced a shift pregnant with pace and passion that took the life out of the Mali defence.

He never stopped running and harassing the opponents, making that difficult role of a lone forward look so easy, and for a man who had spent the build-up to the game battling a head injury, his action-packed performance was heroic.

That he didn’t win the man-of-the-match award was a surprise, given that he spiced his good performance with a goal that settled his team’s nerves, but in a world were artists like Kuda Mahachi have more value than grafters, maybe one can understand the choice of the outstanding player.

That Mahachi added another feather to his sky-rocketing stock with a goal that oozed genius in every step he took as he danced past the entire Mali defence, might have, understandably, swayed the panel that gives out the man-of-the-match awards.

Not that Gorowa, or the country, really cares about who wins that award because what is important, really, is just winning games and keeping their magical adventure alive.

And these Warriors are making a big impression in South Africa and have, in just one tournament, helped to mend the shattered fabric of a national game that has been crying out for such refreshment.

“I’m getting (South African) clubs calling left, right and centre,” said Gorowa as interest in his players soars. “But I keep telling them talk to the players after the tournament.

“I don’t want the boys to lose their focus.”
Gorowa went to church yesterday,  to thank the Lord for guiding his team so far in the tournament, and he is a man who now wants the big prize. He feels they have done the harder part, by getting this far, and beating two West African giants in back-to-back matches and wants his troops to believe that they can even go on and win the big prize.

Holding midfielder Danny Phiri got his second card of the tourney against the Malians after another impressive performance in front of the heart of the defence.

But Gorowa yesterday said “Deco” will be available for selection, for the semi-final on Wednesday,  because the yellow card picked in the group stages falls away after qualification to the knock-out stage.

Caf regulations on the CHAN tournament are an outdated lot, still modelled for the inaugural tournament where there were only eight teams at the finals.

They address the issue of yellow and red cards on Article 34 and say that “at the end of the preliminary phase, all cautions received shall be cancelled except those which ended in an automatic suspension.” The preliminary phase, in Dibango’s explanation, might mean the group stages or, as others might argue, could refer to the qualifying process.

The Warriors coach, though, is certain that his main midfield enforcer will be available and yesterday said he was “just praying that he doesn’t get another card in the semis.”

That means Gorowa is already exploring the possibility that his team will play in the final of this CHAN tourney and, on the basis of their excellent performance to date, they have every reason to believe.

This group of Warriors are cheering their nation, converting fresh and new fans into a game that had appeared rotten as it struggled to lift the weight of the scandals that tore its soul apart and redefining the boundaries of what constitutes success when it comes to our football.
They are blazing a trail, venturing into territories that were alien to us, playing without fear and knocking out West African giants as if they have become clones of either Lesotho or Swaziland.

Now, an entire nation dares to believe that they can win this CHAN trophy and, on the evidence of what we have seen so far, the people have a reason to believe in their Warriors.