Langa Mabena
Innocent Kurira
MIGHTY Warriors coach Sithethelelwe Sibanda believes her side can still progress to the next round of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWFCON) Qualifiers despite their 2-1 defeat to Angola in the first leg.
For the Mighty Warriors to advance, they need at least a 2-0 victory in today’s second leg at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria.
The senior Zimbabwe women’s football team is this afternoon tasked with overturning a one-goal deficit after a narrow loss in Luanda last week. However, Sibanda remains optimistic, drawing confidence from their performance in the reverse fixture.
Newcomer Ruvimbo Mucherera scored Zimbabwe’s only goal, with an assist from Ethel Chinyerere.
The team is determined to rise to the occasion and is using lessons from the first leg to bolster their preparations.
Ahead of the clash, Sibanda has stressed the importance of psychological readiness.
“We are taking this game from where we left off in the first leg. The first thing is we have had to make sure we are psychologically prepared for the task ahead. In terms of the preparations, we have looked at some key moments from the first leg when we made mistakes and have worked on rectifying them.
“We did everything we could to create goal-scoring opportunities but we lacked composure. We are hopeful that we will be much better in the second leg and that everyone will show the positivity we have seen in training,” said Sibanda.
Team captain Emmaculate Msipa echoed Sibanda’s sentiments.
“We have prepared well for the second leg and the coaches have done their part in getting us ready. We are going to play to the best of our ability. We have to try and utilise every chance we get and see how it goes,” said Msipa.
Former Young Mighty Warriors coach Garthley Chipuka also expressed his belief in the squad’s ability to turn things around.
“We have a good team, and I am confident they will progress to the next round. I’m sure the coaches have identified where we went wrong in the first leg and have worked on those issues. With an experienced squad, we are capable of getting the result we need,” Chipuka said.
The Mighty Warriors will be hoping to be more clinical in front of goal as they hope to turn things around against Angola.
Colletta Dube
Online Reporter