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Tadious Manyepo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE have already secured qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, but coach Michael Nees is not treating their final Group J match against Cameroon any differently.
Both the Warriors and the Indomitable Lions have punched their tickets to the biggest international football tournament on the continent to be staged in Morocco late next year, rendering their duel at the Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde tomorrow academic.
But the German gaffer isn’t seeing things like that. In only his first three months in charge of the Warriors, Nees has become the second foreign coach to guide Zimbabwe to the AFCON finals after Croat Zdravko Logarusic did the same in 2021.
Undefeated in five tough qualification games in a group that also has Namibia and Kenya, the former Rwanda mentor is not only looking at finishing the campaign without a loss, but is eyeing more than just that. The Warriors played out a 1-1 draw against Kenya, a result they needed to seal their journey to Morocco at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa last Friday.
Cameroon, who progressed to the fiesta with two matches to spare, have 11 points, two ahead of second-placed Zimbabwe ahead of the two teams’ face-off tomorrow.
Zimbabwe have thinned out a bit after France-based midfielder Marshal Munetsi was handed a compassionate leave while defender Gerald Takwara has also been knocked out of the game due to a shoulder injury he suffered on Friday.
No replacement has been called in to fill those spaces and Nees could throw in some of the players who have not been playing like goalkeeper Marley Tavaziva and Emmanuel Jalai.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ZIFA administration because when I came here on the first day, I was fully supported.
“I am very happy that we have managed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and that is the objective that we set out three months ago.
“We will play Cameroon with maximum concentration and focus. We are not getting into this game seeing it as a dead rubber, no.
“These games matter and they impact on our rankings,” said Nees.
“We need to win the match and finish strongly. You know the vibe that winning games can bring and can do to the team.
“That’s why we have to go out there and have a strong mentality and will to fight.
“Hopefully we will do well and get a big result against a big opponent.
“But travelling has been such a big issue as the fixture has been largely condensed. We train once or twice and then it’s match day.
“The qualification has been a bit condensed. When a key player gets injured, you are sure to miss him for some games and there is also no time to train.”
Nees said his team has been doing well and took time to hail the impact that Khama Billiat has had after he convinced the Yadah man to come out of international retirement three months ago.
Billiat had called time on his colourful Warriors career in 2021 but needed a big deal of convincing from Nees to make a U-turn.
“I observed that a player was missing behind the striker who could be creative.
“There were all good players, powerful players but there needed to be someone who would be the creative hub.
“I knew Khama Billiat already and I was aware of how he was performing for his club back in Zimbabwe in the local league,” added Nees.
“I then approached his club but it wasn’t easy. These professional players have conditions (that should be met). They don’t want to come out of retirement and then after a month they retire again.
“They want things around the team to be run professionally.”
Online Reporter