BULAWAYO - CAPS United midfielder Tafadzwa Rusike has apologised to the nation for his glaring miss during the Warriors' quarter-final of the Cosafa Senior Challenge against the Zebras of Botswana at Barboufields Stadium on Monday.With Botswana proving to be a hard nut to crack, the roving CAPS United midfielder exchanged passes with striker Evans Gwekwerere but failed to do justice to a return pass from Gwekwerere after he breached the Botswana defence. He shot meekly into the hands of the Botswana goalkeeper from two yards. His miss has been touted as a strong contender for the “Miss of the Tournament”.
“I want to apologise to the nation for that glaring miss,” said Rusike after the match.
“I am so disappointed to have missed from such a distance, but it should be understood that it happens in football. I did not put much power behind the ball. I could have scored that one. But I want to say to the fans they should not lose hope. They should support us all the way to the final. I am confident we will win this tournament.
The Warriors had to labour to a 1-0 victory against the Zebras to qualify for the semi-finals of the regional tournament as Botswana one of their best games ever seen in recent years.
Botswana produced a fabulous defensive display and appeared set to make it to the last four of the tournament. But, the Warriors determined to win the tournament for a record fourth time after winning it in 2000,2003 and 2005 launched wave after wave of attack in their opponents goal and the Zebras finally cracked under the weight of expectations with only three minutes remaining.
Monomotapa midfielder Mthulisi Maphosa was the hero of the day for Zimbabwe as headed in a corner kick by substitute Phillip Marufu to deny the Zebras a semi-final berth.
Post published in: Zimbabwe Sports News