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Collin Matiza and Grace Chingoma
TAWANDA Maswanhise celebrated his recent call-up to the Warriors by scoring for Leicester City’s Development Squad in a 3-3 draw with Arsenal Under-23s in an English Premier League 2 match on Saturday.
The 18-year-old winger was, for the first time, included in Warriors’ coach Norman Mapeza’s 25-man squad for the 2022 World Cup dead rubbers’ against South Africa and Ethiopia, on Thursday and Sunday, in Johannesburg and Harare.
The Warriors begin their camp in Johannesburg today.
Maswanhise’s father, Jeffrey, a former sprinter who represented Zimbabwe at the All-Africa Games and the Commonwealth Games, between 1998 and 2002, told The Herald his son will be available for these two matches.
“He is coming… He is just waiting for his paperwork to be sorted out,” Jeffrey said from his base in Leicester, England, on Saturday.
ZIFA are working on securing a Zimbabwean passport for Maswanhise.
On Friday, Maswanhise’s parents, ZIFA, and Team Zimbabwe chief executive, Marshal Gore, had a fruitful meeting.
The player is expected to make a passport application early this week at the Zimbabwean Embassy in the UK.
The document will be processed in Harare.
Warriors team manager, Welly Mpandare, is hopeful that by the time they play South Africa, Maswanhise passport will have been sorted out.
The national team are setting up a temporary base in Johannesburg.
The Europe-based players will fly direct to South Africa’s biggest city.
Warriors interim coach, Norman Mapeza, has included Dynamos winger, Bill Antonio, into the traveling squad and the home-based players were set to get into camp last night, ahead of the team’s departure today.
Warriors’ stand-in skipper, Khama Billiat, rounded up his league commitments before the international break by helping Kaizer Chiefs to a 2-1 victory, over Orlando Pirates.
Billiat earned the penalty after Pirates defender Olisa Ndah was adjudged to have fouled him in the 90th minute.
Keagan Dolly, who had scored the opener in the 49th minute, completed his brace.
Warriors skipper Knowledge Musona, Teenage Hadebe, Tino Kadewere, Marshal Munetsi, and Jordan Zemura are notable omissions because of injuries.
The Leicester City development squad made three changes, from last Monday’s victory over West Ham United Under-23s, for the game against their Gunners counterparts.
Oliver Ewing was introduced into the Leicester starting XI for Papy Mendy, and Terell Pennant preferred to Jake Wakeling, in attack.
Maswanhise was also back in the side, with Bayli Spencer-Adams making way.
After a goalless first half at the Arsenal Training Centre in London, the Foxes broke the deadlock when Pennant marked his first league start of the season with a goal, on the hour mark.
Maswanhise doubled the advantage, with just over a quarter of an hour to play, and the away side soon raced into a three-goal lead, courtesy of Ben Nelson’s first goal of the season.
Incredibly, though, Arsenal Under-23 hit back with three goals of their own – all scored during added time.
Tim Akinola pulled one back on 91 minutes and even Omari Hutchinson’s strike, two minutes later, looked to be a consolation for the Gunners.
But, Folarin Balogun found the net even deeper into stoppage time, to snatch a share of the spoils, and maintain Arsenal’s spot at the top of the league standings.
Leicester City’s Development Squad moved up to eighth in the English Premier League 2 Division 1 table, on 13 points, from 10 games.
They are now unbeaten in three matches ahead of meeting Tottenham Hotspur at LCFC Training Ground on November 22.
And, hopefully, Maswanhise would have earned his first senior caps for the rebuilding Zimbabwe side still reeling from their shambolic campaign in the World Cup qualifiers.
The Warriors have picked up only one point in their opening four Group G matches against South Africa, Ethiopia and Ghana.
Defender Tendayi Darikwa, who was also named in the Warriors squad for this week’s World Cup matches, featured for his English League One side Wigan Athletic in their goalless draw against National League outfit Solihull Moors, in the FA Cup first round at the DW Stadium, on Saturday afternoon.
Darikwa captained the Latics who controlled the encounter for the majority of the game, and came close through strikes from Gwion Edwards, Tom Bayliss and Callum Lang.
They now face a trip to Damson Park for the replay on November 16.
Injured Warriors’ defender, Jordan Zemura, missed the action as his English Championship side AFC Bournemouth hammered Swansea at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. Zemura is currently sidelined by a leg injury. Doubles from Dominic Solanke and Jaidon Anthony earned Bournemouth a 4-0 win against Swansea.
Victory saw the table-topping Cherries maintain a two-point lead over second-placed Fulham, 1-0 winners at Peterborough.
Charles Duri
Online Reporter