Veronica Gwaze-Zimpapers Sports Hub
WHEN the final whistle blew at the National Sports Stadium on Wednesday, the scoreboard told a cruel story of Zimbabwe falling 0-3 to Mali in the 2027 Under-23 AFCON Qualifiers, denting their hopes of progressing to the final qualifying round.
For the Young Warriors, this was a harsh return to continental junior football.
Their last taste of this stage was in 2019 when they were eliminated in the third round after a 5-0 aggregate defeat to South Africa. Now after the defeat to Mali, their hopes of making it to the third round again hang in the balance.
However, for coach Wilson Mutekede even an elimination after the reverse fixture in Mali on Monday will not be an ending.
Instead, it will be the beginning of a project.
Mutekede, the former ZIFA Technical Director, is looking beyond the scorelines and insists that ZIFA now have firm ground to build a competitive future Warriors side.
“Beyond the heartbreaking scoreline, I think we also had moments where potential was visible, meaning that if those elements can be kept together, we can build a strong future team,” he said post-match.
Zimbabwe were completely outplayed for the most part, yet they fluffed more than three golden chances which could have reduced the margin or even levelled matters against Mali.
Now they face a bigger task of having to clear that three-goal deficit if they are to reach the next round of the 2027 Under-23 AFCON qualifiers.
Although Mutekede was disappointed that his side blew realistic chances to draw with or beat Mali, if kept together, he said they can be a very competitive team in a few years.
However, context matters.
Zimbabwe are relatively new-look, given the return of junior national team after years in the wilderness.
The project being built from scratch had to face the tests from one of West Africa’s most consistent producers of talent.
And, Mali aimed for a win from the onset and they did so with the efficiency of a team that understands what it means qualifying big tournament such as the Olympic Games, having made the 2024 Paris edition.
Zimbabwe, by contrast, looked like a team still learning each other’s movements, allowing the visitors to take control of the game.
Yet inside that heartbreaking defeat, there were moments Mutekede will cling to.
“The boys created and pressed in patches, especially late on showing that there is something to work with as we move forward,” he said.
“The team is not just about this qualifier, but 2027, 2028, 2029 and beyond.
“It is about feeding the senior Warriors, ending the cycle where Zimbabwe starts over every two years with a brand-new team that has never played together.”
Overturning a 0-3 deficit away from home is a daunting task.
The Young Warriors need to score three goals, concede none and then win on penalties.
Alternatively, they should score four to win outright in Mali, against a side that already has one foot in the next round.
Mutekede understands that this is almost mission impossible and chooses to look beyond the Qualifiers, insisting there is need for continuity into the future.
Precisely when the national team coaches were unveiled earlier this year, ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi said the association was moving away from short-term fixes.
“When we relied on just preparing to fulfil upcoming tournaments, we had no future plan and the result was always a senior team that kept having to start from scratch,” said Mutekede.
“This Under-23 project is an attempt to fix that, which is why we even went for younger players of ages 21 down to 16-year-olds.
“If this group stays together, get more camps and friendlies, enough competitive games, then in two or three years, this could be a perfectly ‘baked’ national team,” he said.
