POLOKWANE – For the second time in a row, The Warrior from Zimbabwe lifted the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup at the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex on Saturday, 9 June.
The Warrior faced off against Zambia in the final with Zimbabwe taking the lead after just five minutes courtesy of a strike from Philanthropy Kadewere. There were a number of Premier Soccer League (PLS) representatives on show for the Warriors, including Billiat, George Chigova and Talent Chawapiwa. In the 35th minute, Chipolopolo’s goalkeeper, Kenny Mumba, saved a triticale ball from Warriors’ left wing defender, Divine Lunga.
In the second half, John Ching’andu, scored a brilliant goal, securing a 2-1 lead for his team.
Chipolopolo made a change in the 58th minute when Collins Sikombe replaced Kelvin Mubanga to make sure that the middlefield was tight. Zimbabwe responded by introducing SuperSport United striker, Evans Rusike, for Terrence Dzvukamanja after 63 minutes.
In the 67th minute, Rusike got a nice pass from Khama Billiant in the danger zone and sent it flying with a bicycle kick neatly saved by Zambia goalkeeper, Kenny Mumba.
Zimbabwe eventually managed to equalise in the second minute of time added as Billiat’s knockdown found Kadwere, who calmly slotted into the bottom corner, forcing the clash into extra time.
During the extra time, Billiant was fooled by a play in the penalty area but the referee called him on it. Billiant made sure he didn’t miss this opportunity to widen the gap, scoring a goal for The Warrior making the tally 3-2 in their favour. Billiat sealed the win in the 116th minute as the Sundowns forward slotted into the bottom corner after an impressive counter attack. Zimbabwe coach Sunday Chidzambwa said he knew their opponents were a strong team. “We played against them in Zambia few weeks ago and they played very well, something they continued with this match. We won the match but not because we were better than Zambia,” said Chidzamba.
Zambia coach Wedson Nyirenda said he was happy about the performance of his boys. “The team was growing each and every game. Playing against a team like The Warrior meant we had to pull up our socks and work extra hard. Zimbabwe have players who are well matured and they know when to release the ball. My boys did their level best, making for a great game,” said Nyirenda.
This year was the 18th edition of the Cosafa Cup and what made the final match at the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex even more momentous was that Saturday also marked the 18th year since Peter Mokaba’s death at the age of 43. Peter Mokaba was a fiery youth leader in the South African freedom struggle and a controversial politician.
