adminSports Reporter
Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)
Malawi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2)5
THE Zimbabwe Under-17 national football team bowed out of the COSAFA Championships in embarrassing fashion after they were hammered by Malawi in Mauritius yesterday.
It was a similar scoreline to the one the Malawians handed them at the same tournament last year.
The Young Warriors still have to play Angola tomorrow before they return home.
Angola became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals after picking six points.
Yesterday they won 4-0 against Swaziland and have already beaten Malawi 1-0.
Last year, the Young Warriors exited the regional age-group tournament in the group stages without a single victory.
Yesterday, coach Tafadzwa Mashiri was at a loss of words, describing the defeat of his team as a painful one.
“We are devastated. We are out of the tournament and it is painful, but we applied ourselves well,” he said.
“We conceded two soft goals in the first half and that was the turning point.
“We failed to come back into the game as those two first goals sucked the zeal and fighting spirit out of the players.
“The boys are demoralised, it’s tough for them. We went into the game expecting to bounce back into the tournament by winning the second match, but it’s an unfortunate situation we find ourselves in.”
The Young Warriors found themselves on the back foot as early as the seventh minute when Patrick Mwaungulu scored the opening goal for Malawi.
The youthful Zimbabwean team were having trouble containing the Malawians who were quick in attack.
In the 24th minute, the Young Warriors conceded another goal.
Ten minutes after the breather, Malawi again increased their lead and by then Zimbabwe were deflated with the Young Flames very much in control of the game.
The Malawians scored two more goals in the 77th and 79th minutes.
Team
Zimbabwe: M. Mapondera, T. Ngwenya, Chigumba S. Dhauka (Matenga 38th minute), J. Bonomali, S. Madzivire, M. Soko, C. Bandason, L. Madzingaidzo (Mutasa 38th minute), T. Mandinyenya (Ndiraire 69th 6, M. Hativagoni.
Group A
P W D L F A Pts
Botswana 2 2 0 0 3 1 6
Mauritius 2 1 0 1 1 1 3
Namibia 2 1 0 1 8 4 3
Seychelles 2 0 0 2 4 10 0
Group B
P W D L F A Pts
S/Africa 2 1 1 0 4 1 4
Zambia 2 1 1 0 1 0 4
Lesotho 2 0 1 1 0 1 1
Moza 2 0 1 1 1 4 1
Group C
P W D L F A Pts
Angola 2 2 0 0 5 0 6
Swaziland 2 1 0 1 3 6 3
Malawi 2 1 0 1 5 1 3
Zimbabwe 2 0 0 2 2 8 0
Online Reporter