Zimbabwe Warriors disappoint again!

Bruce Chikuni in PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa

WARRIORS coach Jairos Tapera was left a dejected man after his men suffered a shocking exit in the COSAFA Cup after losing 0-2 against Kenya at Wolfson Stadium here yesterday.

Jairos Tapera’s men needed just a point to progress to the regional flagship tournament semi-finals and they could have even made it with a 0-1 loss. But the Warriors, who were in charge of the Group B with six points from two games, crumbled when it mattered most against the East Africans.

They ended with the same number of points (six) with Comoros, who finished on top of the pile following their 1-0 win against Zambia at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, and Kenya. With results against Zambia, who lost all three games, being cast away, the Warriors found themselves in third place.

“I’m disappointed with the result, especially with the manner we have lost our ticket to the next round. We could have avoided this loss in many ways but it was not our day. I knew from the start that it was going to be difficult to force a comeback if we conceded first. The boys tried everything they could to avoid this loss but our best was not enough,” said Tapera.

He added: “I’m happy for the boys, especially those who played for the national team for the first time in this tournament, it was a milestone for them and collecting six points from three games means we have something to build on. Some of these boys are ready to be elevated to the senior team and it’s now a matter of embracing them so that they can get used to the system.”

Austine Atieno fired Kenya into the lead in the 53th minute. Tapera’s men appeared deflated as they started to playing without any purpose despite having a party atmosphere in their corner. Benson Ochieng extended Kenya’s advantage in 73th minute with a fine close strike. Takunda Benhura kept firing blanks as the Warriors shifted gears to find the consolation goal