The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
The Mighty Warriors are in a confident mood ahead of their clash with Zambia in a 2014 African Women’s Championships final qualifier at Rufaro Stadium this afternoon. The return leg is set for Lusaka in a fortnight and the aggregate winner will join 11 other nations at the finals to be held in Namibia in October.
The African Championships, the women’s version of the Africa Cup of Nations, will be used to select the continent’s representatives at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The top three teams qualify for the World Cup.
The Mighty Warriors, who are chasing a fourth appearance at the finals, believe they have enough arsenal to shoot down the She-polopolo.
Coach Rosemary Mugadza is targeting a healthy home victory and has made a passionate plea for fans to come and rally behind her girls.
“It is going to be a very tricky encounter because the Zambians have been making strides in recent months. They have skilful players, especially their forward line; so we have been working very hard on our defensive strategies.
“However, we are confident of getting a positive result and are appealing to our fans to come in their numbers and rally behind us . . . we need them,” she said.
Zifa have pegged the cheapest ticket at $1.
On paper, Zambia carry the underdogs tag, but recent developments in Lusaka tell a story of a nation whose game is on the rise.
Morale is high in that country after their women’s Under-17 squad’s maiden appearance at last month’s World Cup held in Costa Rica.
The Zambian senior women’s team are hard pressed to emulate their juniors. Zambia beat Rwanda 3-0 last weekend in a warm-up game, while Zimbabwe last faced international opposition last month when they drew 2-2 away to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana.
The player to watch from this She-polopolo side is Kabange Mupopo, who wears jersey number 11.
The Mighty Warriors are banking on the goal-scoring instincts of the stocky Rutendo “Madzimai” Makore, the evergreen Marjory Nyaumwe and the skilful Violet Bepete.
Leftback Ruvimbo Mutyavaviri, Talent Mandaza and Nokuthula Ndlovu should provide the necessary expertise for the home side.
The Mighty Warriors last week fine-tuned with two friendly matches against the men’s teams of Sprouting Academy and Mbare United.
