After a whole week’s hype and excitement with the senior national soccer team leading the Black Antelopes of Angola 3-1 from the first leg in Harare, all hope was reduced to an agonizing heap when they were beaten 2-0 on Sunday in the return match.
Two goals by Valladolid striker, Manucho, in the fourth and sixth minutes ensured Zimbabwe’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations.
The two teams ended 3-all on aggregate but the goal Angola scored in Harare in their 3-1 loss counts twice giving them a 4-3 final result in the two-legged match.
The Angolans were swift on the attack in the first half and the Zimbabweans, especially the most experienced ones like Tinashe Nengomasha and Vusa Nyoni failed to stamp their authority while striker Cuthbert Malajila was never in the game, raising questions why he was preferred instead of Kaiser Chiefs’ Kingstone Nkhata.
When Nkhata came in, the Warriors played a bit better in the second half with Nkhata’s power and pace giving the Angolans all sorts of problems. He combined well with Knowledge Musona but still the goals could not come.
While the Angolans are travelling all the way to South Africa, for Zimbabwe, it is back to the drawing board to find out what really hit them after having been promised $10 000 each for qualification.
Ironically, Zambia’s Chipolopolo who had been offered half of that bonus money have qualified after overcoming Uganda on penalties.
This is not the first time that Zimbabwe has lost out on the last day of play when everyone thought they would qualify.
Needing a win at home to qualify for the 1992 finals, the Warriors were held to a two-all draw by Congo at the National Sports Stadium when a blunder from goalkeeper John Sibanda gifted the visitors a last minute equaliser when Zimbabwe were leading 2-1.
Then in 1993, needing another win to qualify for the 1994 finals, a Kalusha Bwalsha header saw the two teams settling for a one-all draw, leaving the Zambians to qualify on the away goals rule after the two teams had played a goalless draw in Lusaka.
The Nations Cup dream is over and the World Cup ambition does not look all that promising after the 1-0 defeat to Guinea and the goalless draw in Mozambique where we at least needed a win to stay in the run for a place at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.
Post published in: Football