Young Warriors fall to early Mozambique strike

Eddie Chikamhi, Zimpapers Sports Hub

Zimbabwe 0-1 Mozambique

ZIMBABWE’S Under-17 side endured a sobering start to the Cosafa Championships yesterday, falling 1-0 to Mozambique at Ngoni Stadium in Norton. A large home crowd turned out to support the Young Warriors, but their early optimism was dampened when Chauson Nhabanga converted from an Allan de Figuereido cross just eight minutes into the match.

The defeat leaves Zimbabwe third in Group A and in need of a win against Eswatini tomorrow to stay alive in a tournament that also serves as a qualifier for next year’s Afcon Under-17 and Fifa Under-17 World Cup. Comoros top the group after beating Eswatini 3–0 earlier in the day.

Coach Thulani Sibanda’s side, assembled in under a month and with only two weeks of full training, appeared short on rhythm for long stretches. Mozambique, in contrast, are the product of a two-year development project that included training camps in Portugal. Their experienced coach, Luis Manuel Correia Guerreiro, said the difference was evident.

**Jameson Junior Nduna takes aim for Zimbabwe’s Under-17s during their COSAFA opener against Mozambique. The Young Warriors were narrowly defeated 1–0 in Norton yesterday.**

“The secret behind our win today was simple. We started this project two years ago. We had preparations in Portugal where we played friendly matches. Preparation is very key,” he said.

Sibanda dismissed the notion that limited preparation time was decisive.

“Even if you watched the game, there wasn’t a very big difference between us and them, apart from maybe that soft goal. We almost created the same number of chances. There were moments when we were on top, especially in the better part of the second half,” he said.

Still, the match statistics told their own story. Mozambique were better organised, with midfielder Diego Pelembe consistently finding space. One first-half run nearly doubled their lead when Shelton Sitoe’s bicycle kick flew just over the bar. Zimbabwe’s best chance came when captain Tadiwa Chakuchichi turned inside and fired narrowly wide on the half-hour mark. He broke through again in the 49th minute but hesitated, allowing defender Pascoal Miambo to block.

Zimbabwe pressed harder after the break, spurred on by a passionate Norton crowd, but lacked a clinical edge. Mozambique slowed the tempo and remained dangerous, with Steys Jose heading wide late on, prompting goalkeeper Siyanda Zimba to bark instructions at his defenders.

With Comoros and Mozambique now on three points apiece, Zimbabwe must beat Eswatini tomorrow and then face Comoros on Monday to have any chance of progressing.

Teams

Zimbabwe

Siyanda Zimba, Seth Musarapachena, Tapiwa Mautsa (Fortune Ncube 46), Prince Chimwakale (Tawananyashe Chisuse 90), Ashley Murapa, Munashe Ncube, Jameson Nduna (Irvine Mtungwazi 70), Darrel Zulu, Elshaddai Sadomba (Tapiwa Gutu 74), Tatenda Maulidi (Dwayne Musona 74), Tadiwa Chakuchichi.

Mozambique
Ricardo Vilanculos, Pirez Vieira, Allan de Figuereido, Pascal Miambo, Sheldon Sitoe, Seoul Kante (Valentine Pecame 70), Diego Pelembe, Steys Jose, Chauson Nhabanga, Marcos Lazaro (Kristoff Machava 90), Joachim Mubai (Jonas Mitusse 72).