Local coaches speak on Warriors defeat

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
EACH second, let alone each minute, of the added time felt like an eternity, as the Warriors desperately tried to hang onto what would have been a vital point in the Afcon finals Group B against continental powerhouse Senegal.

There is no denying that the Warriors deserved at least a point against Senegal on Monday, but unfortunately the football gods again turned their backs on them with the very last kick of the match.

For 93 minutes, the Warriors had held on for a point against the top ranked African country.

In the end, all the hard work came to naught when a speculative shot hit the right arm of midfielder Kelvin Madzongwe inside the box.

The referee straight away pointed to the penalty and up stepped Liverpool star Sadio Mane to send goalkeeper Petros Mhari the wrong way for all three points.

Senegal snatched victory in the most dramatic of circumstances.

Some local football fans ranked it the best Warriors’ performance in an opening Afcon finals encounter, but others felt it was a script from an old book.

Chronicle Sport spoke to some local coaches for their insights into the heartbreaking match.

Joey Antipas (Chicken Inn)

“We played well.

We were organised for the greater part of the game. It’s unfortunate we did everything well up till the last minute.

We deserved a point.

thought Madzongwe was throwing his body on the line and sadly, he will be the fall guy.

But he was trying his best to block the shot.

We had good chances that we failed to utilise them.

We had some good possession, especially in the second-half.”

Bongani Mafu (Hwange FC)

“I think for once in a long time you could identify the coach’s influence on the team.

If we play the same way against the other two teams, we have a chance to get results in the two matches.

Having watched Malawi versus Guinea, I felt our play is better and we can get results.

Mapeza has done his job and we need to demand from the players and stop blaming our coaches for a change.”
Garthly Chipuka (Ex-Bulawayo Chiefs)

“Basically, we have a good team in the absence of other players.

Tactically I felt we got it right.

Sadly, there was just a lapse in concentration at the end.

We should have defended better in those last minutes or even tried to keep possession.

I felt the substitutions disturbed the team in terms of keeping the shape.

However, Senegal is a powerhouse and we did well against them.

Guinea is another good side in the group.

We have to maintain the way we played against Senegal and try and have a go at Malawi.”

Godfrey Tamirepi (ZPC Kariba)

“I think we had a good game plan in place.

We played well, Senegal did not create many chances serve for the penalty that they got at the death.

The coaches did their homework and the game plan was correct. We just had a lapse in concentration.

They have high profile players in their camp and for us to go without some of our players and perfume like that is impressive.

I think we are in the right direction.

We just have to focus on the positives and not the negatives.”

Even Senegal coach Aliou Cisse acknowledged that Zimbabwe had given them a hard time.

“I would like to congratulate the Zimbabwean team who did not give up, who were eye-catching.

But I think we had opportunities to kill the game.

We did not do it.

We lacked realism and efficiency.

The second period was much more balanced.

We never gave up, and it was difficult to have these three points,” said Cisse.

The Warriors take on Malawi before concluding their group games against Guinea on January 18.