Mighty Warriors charm nation

THE Mighty Warriors may not have won the 2023 Cosafa Women’s Challenge Cup but one thing for certain is they charmed the nation.

The bar had been set low for the team which was making an international appearance after years of isolation owing to the Fifa suspension of Zimbabwe.

Prior to the competition, the general feeling was the team was going to struggle against the neighbouring countries who had been making progress while Zimbabwe was in isolation.

However, the senior women’s national team defied all logic and put in a good shift.

They were knocked out in the semi-finals after a 1-0 defeat to Zambia last Friday.

That was before they lost the third place final against Mozambique on Sunday by a 2-0 scoreline.

In the group stages the Mighty Warriors posted impressive results that included a 1-1 draw against Botswana and two victories over Namibia (0-2) and Lesotho (0-1).

Football administrator Sibekiwe Ndlovu says the team exceeded expectations.

“They outdid themselves. They went there as underdogs to be fourth at the end of the tournament can only be recorded as an achievement. Had they had more preparation time and friendly matches here and there we could be talking about champions as of right now,” said Ndlovu.

She feels this was a successful tournament for the Mighty Warriors.

“I think this was a successful tournament for Zimbabwe. The team composition was on point as they managed to have a mixture of youth and experience in the team.

“The important thing now is to build from this competition. The composition of the team saw the mixing of youngsters and experienced players.

“The combination of Shadreck Mlauzi and Sithethelelwe Sibanda is working very well. Without these hiccups that engulfed our camp I am sure we were going to reach the final,” said Ndlovu.

Sports commentator and blogger Buhle Ncube also spoke glowingly about the team.

“Looking at where we are coming from, the team did really well. Taking into consideration that we had no friendly matches going into the tournament and having the team fight in the manner they did, it was impressive.

“The future is bright as we saw the likes of Patience Ndlovu make her debut at the age of 17.

“Most of these teams have upped their game so for us to be competing at the same level with them is remarkable. Credit to the technical team for a job well done,” said Ncube.

Former Street Set coach Ayanda Sibanda was also impressed with the performance of the national senior women’s side.

“To play with the intensity they showed was impressive to me. For a team that has not been playing international football to come and compete like that shows the vast talent we have in Zimbabwe. In terms of character, the team was amazing.

“We had a combination of experienced players and upcoming players which is good when we are trying to rebuild. For me the continuation now has to start at the development level so that we have a database of young players who are earmarked to be integrated into the senior team,” said Sibanda. — @innocentskizoe