Musona speaks tough ahead of Ethiopia tie

AFTER enduring a frustrating goalless draw in their 2022 World Cup Group G qualifying opener against South Africa at home last Friday, Warriors captain Knowledge Musona says the team should do more in their next assignment against Ethiopia tomorrow.

Zimbabwe failed to make maximum use of home advantage when they drew against an equally poor Bafana Bafana when they put on a lacklustre performance at the National Sports Stadium.

They will be desperate to bag maximum points against a wounded Ethiopia in their own backyard. Ethiopia are at the basement of the four-team log having lost 0-1 to Ghana in their opener last Friday night and will also be pressing for a victory against the  Warriors.

But Musona has demanded maximum concentration from the troops in a match they have to claim victory if they are to remain in good stead to win the group. Only group winners from all the 10 pools will advance to the final qualification play-offs to determine the five teams who will advance to the World Cup finals in Qatar next year.

"We are going to try and take the maximum points in our next game (against Ethiopia)," said Musona.

The Saudi Arabia-based striker has equated the current scenario with what happened when the Warriors played a dull goalless home draw against Botswana in their opening 2021 AFCON qualifier.

So bad was the team and with a little bit of luck for the visitors, Botswana would have claimed victory at the National Sports Stadium in November 2019.

The Warriors fans literally wrote the team off but exactly four days after that drab show, Zimbabwe put on a solid show to claim a 2-1 win against Zambia in Lusaka to set the tone for their qualification. Zimbabwe would collect one more victory away to Botswana and a home draw against Algeria to seal their place at the AFCON finals.

"I think the situation is the same like the last time when we played a goalless draw against Botswana. "Yes, we drew but after that draw against Botswana, we still went on to win some games and we managed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations.

"We want the maximum points against Ethiopia on Tuesday (tomorrow).

"We promise that we are going to do more in this game given we disappointed the nation when we played a goalless draw against South Africa.

"The goals will come certainly. Look, in the game against South Africa, we lost a striker (Tino Kadewere) in the middle of the game and it somehow affected us. But in our team, we have players who can score at anytime and I don't think we have any problem scoring goals."

The 31-year-old said the Warriors have the chance to qualify for the World Cup.

"Our goal remains the same. We want to qualify for the World Cup and if we are to achieve that, it means we cannot afford to slip any further down.

"The match against South Africa is already water under the bridge and we have to focus on the game against Ethiopia.

"We are not far off the mark but we need to know that the games are coming thick and fast and we should do more to try and collect the points no matter how hard it maybe.

"I always say the people who should do more to qualify to the World Cup is us and we should know that.

"We are looking at the game against Ethiopia knowing that it is not going to be that easy. It is going to be tough and playing away from home is always difficult. But we should try and get a result to keep us in good stead in our 2022 World Cup qualifying bid."