MIGHTY Warriors are plotting a quick start to their Cosafa Cup campaign as they make a return to international football tomorrow with a group match against Lesotho.
The senior women soccer team is rearing to go after missing out on the previous edition owing to a Fifa ban.
Captain Rudo Neshamba is confident that they can kick off with a positive result as the tournament explodes to life today in South Africa. It is ending on October 15.
The veteran striker said they want to lay the foundations for a successful tournament campaign in the first match.
Twelve teams, which have been placed in three pools, are competing and the top teams from each group and the overall best runner up will advance to the semi-final. And for the first time, COSAFA has introduced Video Assistant Refree (VAR) which will be used from the semi-final stage.
Neshamba highlighted that they will take each game as it comes and hopes that they will open this campaign with a win.
“It's a very important match that is going to set the pace and lay the foundation for the tournament, so it's very important that we win the match,” she said.
“We have had match sessions and analysis for the previous games they have played and we have some bit of background on how they play — tactical and physical appearance — so I think we are quite prepared."
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Following their two-year absence from the tournament after Fifa suspended Zimbabwe over government interference in football matters, the Harare City forward said the team's participation is a great platform for players to showcase their talent.
“We don't have any pressure, we are going into the tournament and we will take each game as it comes. We haven't played for quite some time, so we are taking it one step at a time. We are happy that we are back on the national stage and it’s the stage where the youngsters can showcase themselves since there will be scouts out there. It’s a perfect stage for local players to put themselves out there,” she said.
“I'm callimg on the nation to give us their support, especially for the youngsters who are joining the team for the first time.”
Team coach Shadreck Mlauzi also believes they have done their homework as a team going into this tournament and hopes to register a win in their first game.
“We have done opposition analysis and have had a session profiling Lesotho to begin with because that is our first opponent. We have studied most of our games and I have written technical analysis for most of these teams during AFCON games and have made that information available to the players. So, these are some of the sessions we would be having as we go but for now the focus has been largely on the first game because it’s the most important as it lays the foundation for this tournament,” he said.
ZIMBABWE FIXTURES
Zimbabwe vs Lesotho - 6 October
Zimbabwe vs Namibia - 9 October
Zimbabwe vs Botswana- 11 October
