Sports / Soccer
Knox knocks back at Warriors
29 Aug 2018 at 01:41hrs | Views
GOLDEN Arrows forward Knox Mutizwa is excited that his form has finally won him recognition from national team coaches and he has promised to repay head coach Sunday Chidzambwa's faith in him.
Although the former Highlanders' hitman, who landed the 2015 Zimbabwe Golden boot award after scoring 14 goals from 17 starts, was called up after being initially left out of the squad called up by the veteran gaffer, Mutizwa said the fact that he got the phone call has presented him with an opportunity to prove that he indeed deserves to be one of the regular faces in the national team.
"I am naturally happy to be called up and will use the opportunity to full advantage. I intend proving to those who doubt that I can play for the senior national team and maybe for now I would prefer to let my play do the talking," said Mutizwa.
The striker was voted the 2017 Cosafa Cup Player of the Tournament, ironically when the Warriors were also under Chidzambwa in South Africa.
The 24-year-old has so far played 270 minutes in Golden Arrows' three league games in the Absa Premiership 2018/19 season, which he opened with a magnificent goal against Maritzburg United.
The Warriors go into camp next week to prepare for the Total Caf African Nations Group G qualifier away to Congo Brazzaville.
The encounter pencilled in for September 7 is likely to be highly charged as Congo Brazzaville will be eager to get their campaign trail back on track after suffering a 1-3 defeat to neighbours Democratic Republic of Congo in their opening qualifier in June 2017, while the Warriors dismissed Liberia 3-0 in Harare and top the group by virtue of a superior goal difference.
The two nations have met twice before with Congo Brazzaville beating the Warriors 2-0 on September 2, 1990, in a Nations Cup qualifier, while the return leg in Harare on July 14, 1991, ended 2-2. Zimbabwe got their goals from Henry "Bully" McKop and the late Adam Ndlovu.
In that encounter, Zimbabwe had raced to a 2-0 lead, but failed to defend their margin allowing Ange Ngapy to pull one back in the 40th minute before a 92nd heartbreaker from Jean Claude Mbemba saw the match ending two apiece.
It was an encounter which Zimbabwe needed to win to qualify for the 1992 Nations Cup finals, but an unexplainable howler by the late former Zimbabwe Saints goalkeeper John Sibanda sealed the nation's fate.
Although the former Highlanders' hitman, who landed the 2015 Zimbabwe Golden boot award after scoring 14 goals from 17 starts, was called up after being initially left out of the squad called up by the veteran gaffer, Mutizwa said the fact that he got the phone call has presented him with an opportunity to prove that he indeed deserves to be one of the regular faces in the national team.
"I am naturally happy to be called up and will use the opportunity to full advantage. I intend proving to those who doubt that I can play for the senior national team and maybe for now I would prefer to let my play do the talking," said Mutizwa.
The striker was voted the 2017 Cosafa Cup Player of the Tournament, ironically when the Warriors were also under Chidzambwa in South Africa.
The 24-year-old has so far played 270 minutes in Golden Arrows' three league games in the Absa Premiership 2018/19 season, which he opened with a magnificent goal against Maritzburg United.
The encounter pencilled in for September 7 is likely to be highly charged as Congo Brazzaville will be eager to get their campaign trail back on track after suffering a 1-3 defeat to neighbours Democratic Republic of Congo in their opening qualifier in June 2017, while the Warriors dismissed Liberia 3-0 in Harare and top the group by virtue of a superior goal difference.
The two nations have met twice before with Congo Brazzaville beating the Warriors 2-0 on September 2, 1990, in a Nations Cup qualifier, while the return leg in Harare on July 14, 1991, ended 2-2. Zimbabwe got their goals from Henry "Bully" McKop and the late Adam Ndlovu.
In that encounter, Zimbabwe had raced to a 2-0 lead, but failed to defend their margin allowing Ange Ngapy to pull one back in the 40th minute before a 92nd heartbreaker from Jean Claude Mbemba saw the match ending two apiece.
It was an encounter which Zimbabwe needed to win to qualify for the 1992 Nations Cup finals, but an unexplainable howler by the late former Zimbabwe Saints goalkeeper John Sibanda sealed the nation's fate.
Source - chroncle
