Opinion / Columnist
Its a do or die encounter
08 Oct 2024 at 17:10hrs | Views
All the roads will be leading to South Africa Johannesburg at Orlando Stadium, where the Brave Warriors of Namibia will be battling it out with the Warriors of Zimbabwe in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The opening match of round three in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will get underway on Thursday evening.
All hope is not lost in this encounter. What the Warriors ought to do is keep their heads up and apply a tepid pushback and force the Namibians to keep searching the ball in the entire 90 minutes. The Warriors will be upbeat after scoring early, and they should not become complacent.
The defence cannot afford to be porous and allow or give any room for the Brave Warriors of Namibia to manoeuvre or control the game. Namibians are coming into this game as a wounded lion, as they lost all the first two games.
Namibia just like Zimbabwe was forced to move their home games to neighbouring South Africa after their stadiums in Windhoek failed to meet or pass the standards suitable for World Cup qualifiers by the Confederation of African Football.
The Brave Warriors, under what circumstances, want to avoid any defeat in all of their remaining matches in this section to stand a chance of qualifying.
The Brave Warriors are not pushe overs. It's not going to be a stroll in the park for the Warriors of Zimbabwe. They must be at their best to snatch a win from the jaws of the Brave Warriors, who are leaving no stone unturned in this epic battle.
Peter Shalulile, a Mamelodi Sundowns player, is another man to watch as he can break through the Zimbabwe Warriors defence using his energy and speed.
Zimbabwe welcomes the skipper, Marvellous Nakamba, who has returned to the national team after recovering from a knee injury and subsequent surgery that kept him sidelined for over six months. We expect Nakamba to marshall the heartbeat of the squad and provide stability.
The Zimbabwe Warriors are still in a buoyant mood and have a chance to qualify for the tournament if they beat Namibia. The return of Khama Billiat from an international retirement has also breathed some fresh air to the squad. This is going to be an added advantage as Khama's soccer boots know the state of the South African stadia.
The Germany mentor Michael Nees, who has held roles with three other African nations: the Seychelles, Rwanda, and South Africa, must this time prove his critics wrong and propel the Zimbabwe Warriors to victory on Thursday night.
*We say Go Warriors Go*
Email: konileonard606@gmail.com
X: @Leokoni
The opening match of round three in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will get underway on Thursday evening.
All hope is not lost in this encounter. What the Warriors ought to do is keep their heads up and apply a tepid pushback and force the Namibians to keep searching the ball in the entire 90 minutes. The Warriors will be upbeat after scoring early, and they should not become complacent.
The defence cannot afford to be porous and allow or give any room for the Brave Warriors of Namibia to manoeuvre or control the game. Namibians are coming into this game as a wounded lion, as they lost all the first two games.
Namibia just like Zimbabwe was forced to move their home games to neighbouring South Africa after their stadiums in Windhoek failed to meet or pass the standards suitable for World Cup qualifiers by the Confederation of African Football.
The Brave Warriors, under what circumstances, want to avoid any defeat in all of their remaining matches in this section to stand a chance of qualifying.
Peter Shalulile, a Mamelodi Sundowns player, is another man to watch as he can break through the Zimbabwe Warriors defence using his energy and speed.
Zimbabwe welcomes the skipper, Marvellous Nakamba, who has returned to the national team after recovering from a knee injury and subsequent surgery that kept him sidelined for over six months. We expect Nakamba to marshall the heartbeat of the squad and provide stability.
The Zimbabwe Warriors are still in a buoyant mood and have a chance to qualify for the tournament if they beat Namibia. The return of Khama Billiat from an international retirement has also breathed some fresh air to the squad. This is going to be an added advantage as Khama's soccer boots know the state of the South African stadia.
The Germany mentor Michael Nees, who has held roles with three other African nations: the Seychelles, Rwanda, and South Africa, must this time prove his critics wrong and propel the Zimbabwe Warriors to victory on Thursday night.
*We say Go Warriors Go*
Email: konileonard606@gmail.com
X: @Leokoni
Source - Leonard Koni
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