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Petros Kausiyo in KITWE, Zambia
ZIMBABWE and Zambia’s proud Cosafa Cup history makes the two sides the stand out teams in the regional competition and the Warriors and Chipolopolo will resume their old rivalry when they clash in the finals at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola today. It is the first time that the Warriors and Chipolopolo are meeting in a Cosafa Cup final on Zambian soil.
Their previous meetings have either been on neutral South Africa in 2005 or in Harare in 1998 at the National Sports Stadium and the 2009 final at Rufaro.
German coach Klaus Dieter Pagels will become the first foreign gaffer to guide the Warriors in a Cosafa Cup when he sends his troops into battle at the 40 000 seater stadium.
It is Pagels last tournament with the Warriors before he heads back home to Germany to take up a teaching post.
But the 64-year old coach who arrived in Harare to take up the job of Zifa technical advisor on a government to government agreement could end his short stint as Warriors gaffer with a gold medal if his charges come good this afternoon.
Pagels has persistently argued that he does not believe in history and has brushed aside talk that the Warriors are the defending champions.
“They were champions four years ago and not now. I was not there and none of these players was there so it’s a new tournament and I only look to the future.
“I am 64 years old and I don’t look back to what I did 36 years ago, my daughter has a new baby and I am now looking forward to more years and see that baby grow,’’ Pagels said.
There will be two contrasting statistics however, which both the Warriors and Chipolopolo will be hoping could work in their favour.
The Warriors have been the dominant force in terms of their meetings with Chipoloplo in this tournament but the Zambians on the other hand rarely lose at home and are yet to taste defeat at Levy Mwanawasa stadium.
However, the Cosafa Cup provided Zambia with their first home defeat in 15 years when they lost to Angola in the semi-finals of the 1999 tournament.
Today the Warriors are hoping to become the first team to hand Zambia their first defeat in Ndola which has become their fortress since the closure of the Independence stadium for some refurbishment.
Should they beat Zimbabwe this afternoon, the hosts will level the Warriors’ record of four Cosafa titles achieved in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2009.
Below is Zimbabwe’s brief Cosafa Cup history:
Zimbabwe are four-time champions in the Cosafa Senior Challenge and one of the region’s powerhouses. Their last triumph came in 2009 when they played host to the tournament and beat Zambia 3-1 in the final.
Prior to that they were winners in 2005 in Mmabatho, again beating Zambia in the final.
In 2003, they easily beat Malawi in the decider, winning both legs for a 4-1 aggregate triumph. Their success in 2000 in the final against Lesotho brought to an end a long spell of poor luck for the nearly-men of African soccer, who for more than two decades have consistently narrowly failed to qualify for both the World Cup and African Nations Cup finals.
That changed with the Warriors qualifying for the Nations Cup finals in Tunisia in 2004. They also competed at the 2006 finals in Egypt.
Zimbabwe previously had success in the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup, winning as hosts in 1985.
On the last two occasions that they failed to reach the final in recent years, the Warriors have dropped out of the last two recent Cosafa Senior Challenge tournaments without conceding a goal – losing 5-4 on penalties to Mozambique in 2007 and Zambia in 2008 following goalless draws.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo