HARARE Zimbabwes representatives in the 2009 Orange CAF Champions League, Monomotapa, are out to defend national pride when they host Nigerian giants Heartland in their last Group B match at Rufaro Stadium this afternoon. (Pictured: Monoz ready for battle)The hosts are already out of the competition following a string of poor results in the mini-league phase of the competition while the visitors have already booked their place in the semi-finals.
However, both sides march onto Rufaros artificial turf hoping to defend their pride and maximise financial benefits with every goal scored significantly in this tournament adding to the bottom line.
Monomotapas heroics in the initial group stages of the competition shocked many on the continent when they sent continental giants ASEC Mimosa of Cote dIvoire and South African side Ajax Cape Town tumbling out of this years edition of Africas premier club competition to qualify for the lucrative mini-league stage.
The Zimbabwean champions, whom many thought would not be able to follow in the footsteps of the southern African countrys previous representatives Dynamos who went all the way to the semi-finals in 2008, were ruthlessly efficient at their beloved Rufaro Stadium where they never lost a match.
It was a fairy tale run by the African Safari debutants that made even the most ardent critics stand up and applaud, especially when Monoz opened their mini-league campaign with another stunning 2-1 victory over Tunisian giants and defending champions Etoile du Sahel in Harare.
But that victory was to signal the end of the Zimbabwean sides glorious run. Since then they have found the going tough in the competition. Perhaps their resounding success in the knockout stages alerted their opponents that they could only take them for granted at their own peril.
The Rodwell Dhlakama-coached outfit went on to lose 0-3 to todays opponents in Owerri, Nigeria before Democratic Republic of Congo representatives TP Mazembe inflicted a humiliating 0-7 aggregate defeat on the Zimbabweans.
Etoile du Sahel then outclassed them in Tunis last weekend, scoring twice without reply to end Monozs ambitions of a semi-final berth in this years competition and rendering todays encounter a dead rubber.
But the Zimbabwean champions are a proud side and they would like to prove to the doubting Thomases that their impeccable home record in the campaign, that has only been breached once by TP Mazembe, was no fluke.
Monoz are taking todays encounter seriously and they have even suspended head coach Dhlakama following the defeat in Tunisia.
His assistant, Taurai Mangwiro, will be in charge of the team in todays encounter against a high-flying Heartland who have already booked their ticket into the last four.
Post published in: Football