Online Reporter
Petros Kausiyo in LONDON, England
Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Nigeria .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) 2
KAITANO Tembo’s first assignment as interim Warriors coach ended in defeat after Zimbabwe fell to Nigeria in the Unity Cup semi-final at the Valley Stadium here last night.
Tembo threw five debutants into battle as he sought to widen his options ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, but the Warriors were punished by a sharp Nigerian side who made better use of their opportunities.
Debutant Femi Azeez scored on either side of the break to send the defending Unity Cup champions into the final at Zimbabwe’s expense.
It was a night built around new faces for both teams.
Nigeria arrived with a side short on established names, while Tembo blended some experienced players with several who have spent most of their time on the fringes of the national team set-up.
Few represented that approach more than goalkeeper Future Sibanda and Brentford keeper Marley Tavaziva.
Tavaziva has spent the last two years in and around the Warriors squad under Michael Nees, but had remained behind Washington Arubi and Elvis Chipezeze in the pecking order.
With Chipezeze unavailable because of club commitments in South Africa, Tembo handed Sibanda his chance.
Before the tournament, Tembo had already made it clear he was looking beyond just results.
“Apart from the new players we want to assess in certain areas, remember there are some like Tawanda Chirewa who have not had much game time, but can use these games to prove they have regained full fitness,” he said.
But the Warriors found themselves chasing the game early.
Nigeria took the lead in the fifth minute after Marvelous Nakamba was dispossessed near the edge of the box and Azeez reacted quickest, firing low beyond Sibanda.
Zimbabwe struggled to settle after the setback.
Their first meaningful attack came in the 17th minute when Chirewa, Jordan Zemura, Marshall Munetsi and Junior Zindoga combined in a swift move, but Nigeria managed to clear before the Warriors could finish it off.
Jonah Fabisch then tried his luck from range, but sent his effort over.
Nigeria almost doubled their lead in the 26th minute when Azeez found space inside the area, but Sibanda stayed alert and denied him.
Chirewa looked Zimbabwe’s biggest threat after the break and nearly drew the Warriors level in the 59th minute after breaking through on the right, only to send his effort wide.
That miss soon proved costly.
Zimbabwe failed to deal with a corner and Nigeria quickly broke forward before Azeez arrived to turn in Ofele’s low cross for his second goal of the night.
Tembo introduced fresh legs late on as Msendami and Navaya searched for a way back, but the Warriors never really looked like overturning the deficit.
The rebuilding exercise continues, but Tembo’s first outing also underlined how much work still lies ahead.
