Zemura wants Warriors to believe

Tadious Manyepo in Durban South Africa
ZIMBABWE might be sitting right at the foot of their 2026 World Cup qualification group, but utility star Jordan Zemura knows nothing has been lost, as yet.

The Warriors, with two points, trail pool leaders, Rwanda, by five points after four games.

However, they have the opportunity to change their fortunes over the next five days.

They host Benin at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban today before travelling to face Nigeria, who are only a point ahead of them, on Tuesday next week.

Benin are jointly topping the group, but they have an inferior goal difference to Rwanda.

Coach, Michael Nees, has already urged his players to tighten their seat belts ahead of the Benin showdown.

Zemura believes the Warriors can still secure a spot at next year’s tournament, provided they can string together good performances and positive results.

All of this must begin against Benin in the beautiful city of Durban.

“We are obviously in a not-so-ideal situation as far as these World Cup qualifiers are concerned.

“We are coming from the first four games where we failed to perform well.

“This is not a good position to find ourselves in. But, we have six more games to play and 18 points to fight for. That gives us a fair chance, especially when we look at where the rest of the group stands,” said Zemura.

“Only five points separate us from the pacesetters in the group. But looking at the number of games we have to play, that’s a lot.

“What we need to do is put our all into it. We need to give maximum energy and concentration.

“The details, both big and small, matter a lot. Attention is everything now.”

The Udinese star said Benin must never be underestimated, as they are firmly in the mix for the World Cup spot.

“If you look at the composition of their squad, you get a full appreciation of who they really are.

“They have a number of players enjoying good form in top leagues across the world, including the German Bundesliga, which is undoubtedly one of the best leagues on the planet.

“You have to respect those players and the team in general. They are jointly leading the group that we are anchoring and that says a lot about their pedigree.

“I have never played against Benin personally, and I guess the majority of my teammates haven’t either.

“But we do have a rough idea of how they play. We will try to be compact and get going. The most important thing is to get started.

“We haven’t won in four games, so we obviously need to ignite that spark and see how things will turn out for us.

“At the end of the day, what we want to do is fight, fight and see what happens.”

Zemura also expressed his excitement over the return of former captain Knowledge Musona to the fold after his international retirement.

Musona is back in the team after being convinced by Nees to reconsider his decision to retire.

“Knowledge is a definite gem. He is an important part of the puzzle, and the group is quite happy to have him back,” added Zemura.

“He will bring the experience and expertise that we need to help us in our desire to qualify for the World Cup.”