Manucho torture in Luanda

Sadly, as a massive fan of the national side, it really pains me to say the Warriors should not have lost a game where they had everything going for them — a lead from the first leg and massive financial support from Mbada Diamonds and the Mzansi90 committee, as well as passionate backing from millions of Zimbabweans.

 

Yes, in the first leg in Harare, they proved they can beat any team on the continent and they can defend with the best of them and that time, no one could question the camaraderie and togetherness of the squad.

But on Sunday, it was like Zimbabweans were dreaming, and in just six minutes, the dream of playing in the biggest continental tournament in South Africa next year was blown away. Why? Perhaps our football problems run deeper than what meets the eye. Perhaps we are not good enough.

Travelling fans in Luanda were left divided, some blaming the technical department and some blaming the players, but that is something to be addressed on another day. And as expected, when the Warriors arrived back home yesterday morning, no one seemed to take notice of them at the Harare International Airport, a clear sign of disgruntlement on the part of Zimbabweans.

Nonetheless, after the game, coach Rahman Gumbo said the plot was lost when the Warriors conceded an away goal in Harare in the much celebrated 3-1 win.

“We lost the game in the first leg when we conceded the away goal. We also lost the game by conceding two early goals and I think the boys did not expect that, but I had told them that the team that will win the game will have to score in the first ten minutes and that is what Angola did.

“But that is water under the bridge now, we have to continue fighting. We also knew that the referee will change and make questionable decisions in the second half and that is what he was doing, frustrating our players. But there are still games to be played in the World Cup qualifiers.”
Captain Esrom Nyandoro added: “Angola have been to the Nations Cup before and they are more experienced than us. We have a young team that is inexperienced but we cannot blame anyone. We cannot blame the boys for the loss because they fought hard, particularly in the second half.”
Nonetheless, Zimbabwe went into Sunday’s game bubbling with confidence and before kickoff, the public address system was booming to the fullest and travelling Warriors fans enjoyed it too. The music was some Portuguese songs which sounded like calypso, some kind of Caribbean beat.

It was the kind of beat that makes you not break any sweat despite being busy on the floor, and occasionally when the public address system went dead, wild cheers could be heard from the home fans who braved the 1-3 deficit from the first leg.

The 50 000-seater November 11 Stadium, named after the date of the country’s independence day from Portugal in 1975, carnival and inviting, was home to about 45 000 fans who rooted for the home team.

With the operators of the public address system giving the Zimbabwe national anthem barely a minute, and a lot more for the song of their motherland, the travelling Zimbabwe fans who were close to 200, thanks to the charter flight funded by Mbada Diamonds, were kept going by the Motor Action FC brass band to do more stanzas of the national anthem, and how great the sound felt. And remember, that was before the torture started.

Warriors coach Gumbo stuck to his guns and started with young Highlanders goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda, who tasted the big international stage when he came in as a second half substitute in the first leg in Harare after the injury of Tapuwa Kapini.

Sibanda was deputised by veteran Marlon Jani, with Energy Murambadoro joining Masimba Mambare, Liberty Nyadzurira and Innocent Mapuranga to watch from the stands.
When the Zimbabwean delegation arrived in Luanda on Saturday morning, from the airport to the hotel, and the stadium, locals promised Zimbabwe a 3-0 thrashing, and the heart beat started to pound a lot harder from the first minute of the game as it appeared their predictions could come to fruition after all.

With Carrington Nyadombo getting a verbal warning from the Kenyan referee with seconds into the game for a hard tackle on Manucho, and the visitors fighting hard to defend two corners in the first two minutes, Spain-based Manucho, wearing the captain’s arm band, showed pure class and made a big shout to become a cult hero in Angola when he scored two goals inside three minutes. In an interview with an Angolan radio station before the game, Manucho said Angola needed just two goals to beat Zimbabwe and vowed to provide the goals, and he did just that.

To be frank, the referee’s first whistle was the beginning of the torture inside the bowels of the Chinese built November 11. The first goal was a firm header from a corner on the right and the second was another firm header that hit the roof of the net off a cross from the left after

Turkey-based Djalma, who scored their consolation goal at Rufaro, beat Noel Kaseke with sheer speed and sent in a perfect delivery into the box that caught the central defence in wonderland.

The second goal levelled the scores 3-3 and 4-3 on aggregate which gave the hosts an advantage, as the Warriors failed to find the back of the net to give the game to the Angolans on away goals rule.

And who could begrudge Angola for their moment? They started with more firepower, diligence, confidence and also had the 12th man on their side, who booed the Warriors at every touch in the first half.

The two quick goals shocked the Warriors and it took them 10 minutes to find their feet with Khama Billiat standing a shoulder above the rest with good runs and touches on the left.

He sent in a clever low cross inside the box in the first half, but Cuthbert Malajila was a shade too slow and the ball rolled out for a goal kick for the hosts. When Warriors fans talked of missed chances, it was the first talking point.

And after the game, an Angolan journalist quipped: “How do you expect to win when you bring one player, jersey number ten,” referring to Billiat.

Knowledge Musona was here and there, but hardly the Smiling Assassin we have embraced as the next real deal after legendary Peter Ndlovu and should count himself lucky for remaining on the pitch for close to 90 minutes.

After the goals, the Warriors fans went through torture at the hands of the Angolans.

Zimbabweans witnessed some kind of game you want to watch with paramedics close by — a torment to the eye and a heart breaker.

And as the match wore on, the man with the mic kept on “abusing” the public address system, reminding the home fans that they were in the driving seat, and every time he would utter a word, the stadium would erupt, and the hearts of travelling Zimbabwean fans would sink.

Gumbo spent the better part of the afternoon on the touch line, telling the boys to fight on and remain focused, and his assistant, Peter Ndlovu, would also chip in, but the PA system man kept on going, “Angola    . . . Angola . . . Angola” and now and again the stadium would erupt into cheers. You should have been there to feel your heart sink. The man with the mic was the kind of guy Zimbabweans would not want to see on the First Street in Harare and Lobengula Street in Bulawayo.

After half-time, Gumbo opted to add more firepower upfront and introduced Kingston Nkatha for midfielder Vusa Nyoni, who, notably, had a fair game.

After the restart, Sibanda showed why Gumbo had chosen him ahead of the five other goalkeepers in camp with some suicidal saves with the defence overwhelmed with pressure as the Warriors midfield could not hold either.

With Onismor Bhasera beaten clean on the ground, Djalma could have scored the killer in the 73rd minute, but Kaseke came to the rescue and hardly two minutes later, he repelled from the box another Djalma raid.

However, the Warriors refused to be pushed down easily as Billiat and Archieford Gutu kept on asking questions to the Angolan defence, but it was Nkatha, just like Musona, who could not find his feet, and at some point fell down while in possession with no one challenging him.

With the clock ticking rather very fast for Zimbabweans, the hosts started to employ some delaying tactics, feigning injuries and all. But it was a game that had already been won by the former Manchester United man, Manucho.

A man whose rise to stardom reads like a fairy tale as when he was a little boy, he was not an outstanding footballer. But all changed when he fell into a coma and was bed-ridden in hospital for some time. When he recovered, suddenly, he was faster, more of a dribbling wizard and a completely different player. Somewhat the Lionel Messi of Angola — remember Messi had to be injected some growth hormones while at the Barcelona Academy because he was too short!

That kind of game could not end with no drama. After the final whistle, the Warriors felt the added time was not up when the referee blew the final whistle and police had to rush into the centre to protect the referee as Nkatha, Bhasera and Kaseke confronted the middle man, but captain Esrom Nyandoro was magnanimous in defeat, and restrained his team-mates. And so was Ndlovu, urging the boys to give a lap of honour to travelling Zimbabwean fans for their support.

But for Billiat, after another hearty performance in Warriors colours, it was too hard to stomach and together with Gutu burst into tears. That was torture in Luanda.

Player ratings out of ten:

A Sibanda 6 — made some stunning saves in the second half.

N Kaseke 5 — had an improved second half.

O Bhasera 4 — had a quite afternoon.

C Nyadombo 5 — had his moments but could not use his height to defend aerial balls in the box.

E Nyandoro — 5 showed leadership qualities but his central defence with Nyadombo often left the goalkeeper exposed.

T Nengomasha 4  — had a quiet afternoon.

K Billiat 7 — was the most outstanding player in Warriors colours.

A Gutu 6 — gave a good account of himself and initiated a number of moves not fully utilised by forwards.

K Musona 3 — had a bad day in office.

C Malajila 3 — blew hot and cold all afternoon and missed a seater from Billiat.

V Nyoni 5 — had a fair game before he was pulled out at half time as the coaches sought more fire upfront.

K Nkatha 3 — failed to find his feet for the entire 45 minutes when he was introduced at the start of the second half.

E Sadomba 3 — he was introduced when the game had already been lost but also failed to make an impact.

D Mukamba (no rating) — Played a couple of minutes, rather too short to make an impact.