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Tadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
The Warriors are feeling the pressure of the match against Namibia tomorrow but have no choice but to rise to the occasion if they want to be considered serious contenders for a spot at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.
A draw or loss at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, will dent their chances. However, what happens in the remaining two rounds of qualifiers next month could prove decisive.
Defeating Namibia for the second time in four days since the 1-0 win in the reverse fixture on Thursday last week could brighten the Warriors’ chances.
The match, at which fans will now be allowed after Namibia excluded them in their Thursday “home” match at the same venue, kicks off at 6pm.
The Warriors, overnight leaders after the 1-0 triumph over the Brave Warriors, slid into second place in the Group J standings after Cameroon walloped Kenya 4-1 on Friday last week.
That huge Cameroon win should serve as a huge statement of intent.
Not that the team performed badly in the last three matches.
The two nil-all draws against Kenya and Cameroon and the win against Namibia were good enough, but not to the extent of portraying the Warriors as ruthless.
This means Nees has a lot of work on his hands, particularly with the forwards, who seem to be struggling to convert chances.
With five points in three matches, Zimbabwe are now two points behind leaders Cameroon, with Kenya third on four points and Namibia anchoring the group with no points.
The Harambee Stars, just like the Warriors and the Brave Warriors, do not have a suitable stadium and will host Cameroon at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, tomorrow, three hours before Zimbabwe and Namibia slug it out.
Victory tomorrow will see Nees and his Warriors move closer to making the trip to Morocco.
The Indomitable Lions could hand the Warriors a big boost by completing a double over Kenya, which would mean the Harambee Stars remain in third place.
Should they win again tomorrow and Kenya lose to Cameroon, it will mean the Warriors will need a draw against the East African giants, whom they date in their penultimate qualifier next month. The top two teams from each group qualify for the Nations Cup jamboree. But that is easier said than done.
Nees knows the second leg against Namibia will be tough given the pressure which the Brave Warriors find themselves under in their bid to breathe some life into their faltering campaign.
The Brave Warriors know very well if they beat the Warriors and the Harambee Stars lose to Cameroon, they will be just two points behind the second-placed Warriors and one behind the Harambee Stars, with two rounds of matches to go.
This will make them fancy their chances of pipping both Zimbabwe and Kenya on the final standings.
In the reverse fixture last week, the Brave Warriors gave Zimbabwe a huge scare.
Speaking in an interview carried on social media platforms yesterday, Nees said from the match on Thursday he noted areas that needed improvement for a positive result tomorrow.
“We have to concentrate a little more on our passing as sometimes it was a bit sloppy,” he said.
“We also had some good passes, but Namibia’s pressing is very, very good, so our passing and build-up play must be very sharp and accurate.
“Our ball control was also not very clean, we need to concentrate a little bit more with our ball control, especially with the first touch.”
Nees said despite the noted shortcomings, the Warriors had gained more confidence from the win against Namibia.
“Winning always gives confidence; it motivates you and gives you self-belief,” he said.
“When you get a win, it’s positive feedback and I am sure that (win over Namibia) will push us a little bit further together with the fans. I hope they will get more out of us on Monday (tomorrow).”
He said it was important that Group J was still wide open.
“Everyone can read the table. We are now on five points, and Cameroon looks like they are leading the group a little bit after their win yesterday (Friday night),” he said.
“We are on five points, Kenya has four and Namibia zero, but you can calculate and see that there are still nine points at stake.
“The group has not been decided yet as to who will get first place and definitely who will get second place.”
Nees said skipper Marvelous Nakamba sitting out training session yesterday was just a precautionary measure.
“Nakamba doesn’t always play every four days and he is coming from a very long injury spell, so we have to be very sensitive with how we use him,” he said.
“He is a player who knows his own body best and the players who were here still did a special recovery training programme. He knows his body, knows what he is doing and even got a programme from his club.
“Nakamba doesn’t train ball touches, he has that already, and for him the most important thing is that his body is functioning well. We work together and discuss everything.”
Zimbabwe will be looking forward to massive support from thousands living in Johannesburg tomorrow, especially after playing before an empty stadium on Thursday.
On the other hand, former African champions Cameroon could stretch their points tally to 10 if they complete back-to-back wins over the Harambee Stars.
According to reports from Doula, The Indomitable Lions showed resilience and the drive to score from the very beginning in Friday night’s reverse fixture.
Online Reporter