Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Young Mighty Warriors have set a target of overturning a two-goal deficit that stands between them and progression in the FIFA Women’s Under-17 World Cup qualifiers.
Zimbabwe put themselves under pressure when a lacklustre first leg at home at Ngoni in Norton saw them suffer a 2-0 defeat by Uganda.
But they still believe they can overturn that deficit.
And the Young Mighty Warriors’ character and pedigree will be put to the test this afternoon when face Uganda at Fufa Kadiba Stadium in Kampala. (Kick-off 3pm).
Coach Lindiwe Ndlovu would have to find ways to overcome the Teen Cranes of Uganda who showed quality and composure even playing away from home.
Ndlovu said after picking the crucial lessons from that outing, today they will be out full throttle aiming to rescue their hopes of making it to the next round of games.
“The first game gave us the foundation to use in preparation for the return fixture as we now had a guide on the specific areas that needed attention,” she said.
“We did not really dwell much on the scoreline because tactically the girls were not bad, but there are key areas that simply needed a little nudge.”
Ndlovu feels that her side might have not been technically inferior to their opponents but lack of confidence creeped in.
Resultantly, it forced Zimbabwe to commit a lot of unforced errors that led to the two goals, conceded in the first half.
She added that defensive lapses in the team have since been addressed, while psychologically the team has also improved.
“In our defence, there are areas we have reviewed and worked on to improve because we realised that it is just certain moments that buried us in the first leg.
“The girls responded positively in training following the defeat and now they understand what is required to get a positive result in Uganda.
“Now there is a clear understanding of what is expected, and I believe that the girls are now ready,” Ndlovu said.
Zimbabwe will be hoping to score early goals in the return fixture and go all out to defend their lead.
But Ndlovu acknowledges the tough task at hand.
“It was a learning curve for us, the girls lacked confidence so the pressure got the best of them.
“We could tell that they had pressure but we talked about it, we told them that no stage or team is big, we just need to be ourselves and play at our pace.
“There has been a lot of improvement in all the key areas and I am now confident that all things being equal, we can overturn the deficit in Uganda.”
Zimbabwe do not only need to avoid conceding any goals in the return, but also have to score more than two goals to remain in contention for the second round of qualifiers.
A victory would see them face the winner between Namibia and Kenya in a tie scheduled between May 22 and 31.
Successful teams from these qualifiers will earn spots in the Women’s World Cup Finals, set to take place in Morocco later this year.
For Zimbabwe they have to clear the tough Uganda before dreaming of Morocco.
“We remain confident that everything will go according to plan, we studied our opponent in the first leg and know what we are coming up against so it should be a bit of an advantage for us,” she said.
“It will also be a showcase of creativity, we played with each other a few days ago and now we need creativity, what can we do better this time, what weaknesses can we take advantage of and vice versa.
“There is no room for complacency in this one, a lot is at stake.”
Peter Tanyanyiwa