dyton mupawaenda
Bruce Chikuni in Johannesburg
MIGHTY Warriors midfielder, Tanyaradzwa Chihoro has had a flying start to her international career and might become a permanent feature on the team, at least at the ongoing Cosafa Women Championships.
Chihoro captured the attention of the nation in her senior women’s team debut in Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win against Lesotho last Friday. And, her performance stunned coach Shadreck Mlauzi, who felt the 18-year-old punched above her wait.
She is currently doing her A Levels at Dzivaresekwa High 2.
The Mighty Warrior are playing Namibia this afternoon at Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg. Zimbabwe are pursuing a second win on the spin which will enhance their chances of advancing to the knockout stage of the tournament.
And, Chihoro can help in that, as her debut showed.
Chihoro also recognises that she is privileged to represent the country in all age groups. She revealed to Zimpapers Sports yesterday that playing for the Mighty Warriors was never a distant dream.
“I have always believed in myself, and honestly, there was never a time where I convinced myself that I was not a national team player.
“That has been my secret, it’s a moment which I knew was going to come at some point in my career and I’m very happy that I have hit that mark while I’m still at High school.
“It has cleared my path, at least I’m now in a position to challenge myself to make use of this opportunity because I wouldn’t want to be remembered as someone who spilled her golden chance,” said Chihoro.
“I’m grateful to coach Mlauzi for this opportunity, and I was really surprised when he informed me that I was going to be on the starting XI and it means a lot to me and everyone who has been supporting me.
“My wish is to win this tournament and we are going to do everything we can to achieve that target,” she added.
Mlauzi warned that Namibia are not push overs and his troops need to remain grounded. “It’s a game which are expecting to perform better than what we did against Lesotho,” said Mlauzi.
“It also means we need be at our best if we are entertaining any hopes of progressing to the next round.
“I’m confident that the girls will get the job done and they have been excellent at training everyone is showing the hunger to play.”
Online Reporter