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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
THE long-suffering Zimbabwean fans need something for consolation when the Warriors wind down their disappointing 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign at home tomorrow.
They are the only team without a win in Group G, after five games and take on Ethiopia at the National Sports Stadium.
Zimbabwe are bottom of the table with a single point, obtained from the opening match of the qualifiers against South Africa, which ended in a goalless draw.
After a loss in the second game in Ethiopia, coach Zdravko Logarusic was fired, having failed to collect, at least four points, from the opening two matches.
The collapse has continued even with a new man in charge.
Zimbabwe have had three different coaches in this World Cup qualifying campaign but the Warriors’ fortunes have not changed.
The team has now lost four consecutive World Cup 2022 qualifiers and have one goal to show for all their efforts.
The Warriors supporters will admit they have experienced one of their most depressing campaigns.
Their team has played 14 games, this year alone, winning only one match.
Zimbabwe have finished last this year in almost all the competitions they have taken part in, including the CHAN finals and the COSAFA Cup.
They need to beat Ethiopia by, at least two clear goals tomorrow, to avoid finishing last in the group, again.
The Warriors have suffered 10 defeats this year and drawn three times.
Ethiopia, who are the lowest-ranked Group G team on the FIFA charts, have fared better.
The Walia Ibex have four points from the World Cup campaign, following the win over Zimbabwe and the hard-fought draw against Ghana, on Thursday.
From the way they conducted themselves against the Black Stars, Ethiopia look set to give Zimbabwe a good run, tomorrow.
The East Africans have a good selection of home-grown players who include captain, and top-scorer, Getaneh Kebede.
Twenty-one-year-old forward, Abubeker Nassir, scored 29 goals in 22 games last season, on his way to being crowned the league’s top goals scorer, Best Young Player and the Most Valuable Player.
Egypt-based midfielder Shimeles Bekele is also a key man in coach Wubetu Abate’s squad.
Zimbabwe coach Norman Mapeza has been rotating players in the last three games.
He has even called up the likes of Ishmael Wadi, Brendan Galloway, Blessing Sarupinda and Dynamos’ teenager, Bill Antonio, for the World Cup.
The Warriors will miss a couple of key players through injuries.
Skipper Knowledge Musona, Marshall Munetsi, Teenage Hadebe, Jordan Zemura, Tino Kadewere and goalkeeper Martin Mapisa did not make the trip for the final two games.
Khama Billiat will once again lead the team in the absence of Musona.
South Africa and Ghana will fight for honours in the final game tomorrow in a winner-take-all showdown.
Bafana Bafana just need to avoid defeat for them to grab the sole ticket into the final qualifier.
But, a 1-0 win for the Black Stars will be enough to take the West Africans into the final phase, of the qualifiers.
The 10 teams, which will emerge from the group qualifiers, will play home and away matches, for the right to be in Qatar next year.
Online Reporter