Online Reporter
Robson Sharuko
Metros Editor
FOR the Warriors, the more things change, the more they stay the same. One game into their latest AFCON campaign, their adventure already has a similar ringing tone to their maiden appearance at Africa’s premier football tournament. That was back in 2004 and then, just like now, the setting was in North Africa and their first game was played on the shores of the Mediterranean sea.
Where we had S’fax in Tunisia in 2004, we had Agadir in Morocco on Monday. And, on both occasions, it was the opening game and the same opponent – record AFCON winners Egypt. The Pharaohs! And, astonishingly, the script is the same – the Warriors took the lead through a former Highlanders forward, whose first name starts with the letter P, in the first half.
The Pharaohs strike back twice, in the second half, with the winner coming from their star players who, on both occasions, also happen to share the first name. Peter Ndlovu, the greatest Warrior of all time, thrust his team into the lead in their first AFCON finals game at the Stade Taieb Mhiri in S’fax in the 46th minute on January 25, 2004.
Tamer Hamid equalised for the Pharaohs in the 57th minute and, six minutes later, Mohamed Barakat, who was the star of that Egyptian side, scored the winner. Barakat was voted the 2005 BBC African Footballer Of The Year and would win the CAF African Footballer of the Year award reserved for players who were based on the continent. The match, from a Zimbabwean perspec tive, has forever been immortalised in one big heartbreaking moment. And, just like on Monday in Agadir, it came at the very end of a bruising contest.
When Wilfred Mugeyi found space close to goal, with the ‘keeper at his mercy, in the final moments of that match, a door was opened for the Warriors to get a point their heroic efforts deserved. However, the Silver Fox, who had come in for Agent Sawu, went for power, instead of precision, and sent his thunderous effort into the Tunisian sky. It was a heartbreaking moment for thousands of Tunisian fans, who had been supporting the underdogs, and the scores of Zimbabwean fans, who were part of the 22,000 crowd.
Fast forward to Monday, 21 years down the line – the same tournament, the same oppo nents, the same opening match at AFCON, the same scoreline. And, for the Warriors, the same outcome – a heartbreaking defeat. Prince Dube thrust Zimbabwe into the lead with a goal which was a thing of beauty. The beautiful first touch which cushioned the ball after a superb pass from the impres sive Emmanuel Jalai, the spin to face goal wards, the beauty of the movement and a superb finish with his left foot. Zimbabwe 1, Egypt 0.
That was the scoreline at the break, just like was the case in Tunisia, Then, just like S’fax, the Pharaohs found a way to fight back in the second half. And, this time, it needed the combined weight of stars playing for Manchester City and Liverpool – the only clubs to win the English Premiership title in the last eight years – to finally break down the Warriors. Omar Mamoursh equalised for the Pharaohs, taking advantage of the acres of space which had been donated by Godknows Mur wira for him to exploit down the channel before firing high into the roof of the net.
Then, in time added on, the very moment that Mugeyi blew a golden chance for the Warriors to get a point in S’fax in 2004, the ball fell to Mohamed Salah. They call him the Egyptian King, for a rea son, others even call him the Egyptian god, and it’s easy to understand why. Amid chaos in the Warriors box, as they battled to clear their lines, the ball looped into a dangerous area. Teenage Hadebe did not read the danger and neither did he read the flight of the ball. It’s something which Salah did and, in an instant, he sneaked past Hadebe from the defender’s blind side, took ownership of the ball and before the Warrior could react, the shot had been fired.
Washington Arubi, once again a rock between the posts, was beaten and what should have been a point won through blood, sweat and tears, was transformed into nothing0.It has been a tough few months for Hadebe against some of the world’s best footballers.
He was at the wrong end of a four-goal thrashing at the hands of Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates in America’s Major Soccer League. This one at the Stade d’Agadir probably hurt him more because the point was there to be won, the end was clearly there in sight and the fruits were there to be harvested. It’s easy to forget, amid the crushing pain of this national heartbreak, that we should have scored a second goal – in S’fax as in Agadir. Washington Navaya’s golden chance came when we were leading on Monday, after the ‘keeper spilled a shot from man-of-the-match Daniel Msendami.
Navaya’s reaction was slow and by the time he tried to gobble the chance, the opportunity was gone. Had he taken that chance, the way Mugeyi should have done back in 2004, the script would have been different. But, maybe, it’s something written in the stars, which we have no control over.
This is a very childish analysis.