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Zimpapers Sports Hub
MIGHTY Warriors coach Sithethelelwe “Kwinji-15” Sibanda reckons her team shot themselves in the foot yesterday after losing the opening match of the 2024 COSAFA Women’s Championship to Mozambique.
Zimbabwe lost the match 0-1.
The Mighty Warriors conceded a “silly” goal in the first half, after failing to defend their lines, from a corner kick.
Mozambique’s Aurora Ngale broke the deadlock with a speculative shot from distance which deceived the Zimbabwean defence and ‘keeper.
The defeat means the Zimbabweans no longer have control of their fate, as only the top team will progress to the semi-finals from each of the four groups. Zimbabwe are in Group D, which features three teams.
This means they have only one game left against Lesotho on Sunday.
They need to win the encounter convincingly and pray that the Mozambicans will fall to Lesotho next Tuesday.
After a bad day at the office, Sibanda told journalists yesterday that her side paid dearly for letting in a “silly goal.”
“I think basically we had a good game. We just conceded a silly goal but we created chances and couldn’t get a goal after that. At the end of the day, it’s all about points.
“It’s unfortunate we lost and we didn’t really deserve to lose,’” she said.
Asked about Zimbabwe’s chances of making it to the next round, Sibanda was skeptical.
“It’s a bit difficult because of the fact that now there isn’t much in terms of games, in terms of where we can pick up points because when it comes to tournaments, it’s about picking points.
“As long as you utilise your chances then you know you can get those points but we struggled in terms of our finishing.
“We lacked the composure upfront after having so many entries into the box. That’s what it is, but it’s going to be difficult now,” said Sibanda.
Online Reporter