Mapuwa eyes the prize

Bruce Chikuni-Sports Reporter

YOUNG Warriors forward, Denzel Mapuwa’s masterstroke was overshadowed by the team’s 2-3 defeat to Malawi in their opening fixture of the mini-tournament which got underway in Lilongwe on Wednesday.

His brace limited the damage for the national Under-20 side.

The Greenfuel man has been displaying his killer instincts in the Castle Lager Premiership.

Last season, he scored four times and provided eight assists to save his side from being swept away by relegation wa-ters.

He even missed out on the league’s Most Promising Player gong after finishing just a vote behind Dynamos’ Elton Chikona, who received the prize.

Mapuwa also made a statement when he came from the bench to net a stunning free kick for their 2-1 win over Bula-wayo Chiefs in the opening match of the 2024 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season.

He was, however, not in action when GreenFuel forced a 1-1 draw against Simba Bhora last weekend at Wadzanai as he was in camp with the Young Warriors.

And, Coach Rodwell Dhlakama admitted that his absence proved costly in their bid to maintain their 100 percent start.

The Legends Academy graduate is backing his teammates to down Kenya on their last assignment in the round-robin competition this afternoon.

“I have always wanted to play for the Young Warriors and I was extremely excited to record a brace in my first match for the country.

“Unfortunately, we failed to win the game after creating some good chances but I’m confident that we have what it takes to make the nation proud against Kenya.

“This is just beyond my imagination and our coach (Simon Marange) has been reminding us of the significance of main-taining our cool regardless of the results,” said Mapuwa.