Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter
Zimbabwe……………………………….……..(1)2
Angola…………………………………………(0)1
( Angola won 5-4 on penalties)
MIGHTY Warriors’ quest for a second appearance at the AWCON has come to a crashing end after a penalty shootout defeat to Angola in the penultimate round qualifier at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, yesterday.
Zimbabwe needed to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg in Luanda, Angola, on Wednesday last week.
They made up for that defeat with their own 2-1 victory, at the iconic venue cheered by hundreds of supporters bused by local sponsors.
But that wasn’t enough as they needed an aggregate win to progress to the final qualification round where Malawi is lying in wait.
After failing to protect their 2-0 lead which, for moat of the match looked like shepherding them to the next round, penalties followed. Goalkeeper Lindiwe Magwede, impressive all afternoon, was the unfortunate one as she slid her penalty off target to hand Angola the ticket to face off against Malawi for the right to be at the continental jamboree set for Morocco next year.
Nobukhosi Ncube, Mavis Chirandu, Daisy Kaitano and Yolanda Kanyai had all kept pressure on the Angolans by converting their spot kicks.
The Mighty Warriors should have ended the contest inside regulation time, especially after enjoying a 2-0 cushion for the majority of the game.
They have no one to blame.
Coach Sithethelelwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda, whose coaching credentials have always been under scrutiny, somehow failed to manage the game.
She threw in more firepower by introducing dribblers Natasha Ndowu and Ennety Chemhere while pulling out her midfield industry including captain Emmaculate Msipa.
This was at a time when they needed to frustrate the Angolans.
Ethel Chinyerere thrust the Mighty Warriors ahead early in the match and Christabel Katona doubled the advantage.
