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Musona in for Warriors’ tie
By Petros Kausiyo
KAIZER Chiefs’ teenage sensation Knowle-dge Musona flew into the country at lunchtime yesterday and is now expected to lead Zimbabwe’s attack when the Warriors meet regional rivals Malawi in an international friendly at Rufaro today.
The match kicks off at 4pm.
Musona, featuring for the senior team for only the second time, will be the only foreign-based professional in a side that will draw its personnel from home-grown talent.
Skipper Benjani Mwaruwari and midfielder Ovidy Karuru, who had also been expected to be part of the side that will take on the Flames, are no longer coming.
National teams’ general manager Sharrif Mussa said yesterday Benjani was unable to travel to Harare as he is undergoing specialist treatment in France.
Efforts to bring Karuru from his French base have not yielded any results.
"Unfortunately, Benjani has an appointment with a specialist who is going to assess his knee and the schedule of the appointment, which is clashing with the day of the game, makes it difficult for him to fly and play for the national team.
"We have not heard anything further from Ovidy, but I am happy to confirm that Knowle-dge is here; he came in the afternoon.
"We also have Tawanda Nyamandwe on the injury list so he didn’t even turn up for the camp,’’ Mussa said.
But the spotlight will easily fall on Musona as the 19-year-old striker makes his Warriors home debut.
Musona, who has been a revelation since arriving at the Soweto giants at the start of the South African Premiership 2009-10 season, never played in the domestic top-flight before moving south of the Limpopo.
He had been playing Division One football in the Northern Region League for Aces Youth Academy while his claim to the big stage was only in the national Under-17 and Under-20 competitions.
Musona will, however, get a chance to showcase his talents to the local fans as the Warriors rekindle their rivalry with the Flames of Malawi.
When he was thrust into the Warriors side for the first time, Musona was easily the best Warrior on view, albeit in a 3-0 losing cause against Bafana Bafana, at the Moses Mabida Stadium in Durban.
The Amakhosi forward was unlucky not to have been rewarded with either a goal or a win, especially in a good first half in which the Warriors took the game to the hosts.
Despite Zimbabwe succumbing to a heavy 3-0 loss after losing their way in the second period, Musona’s performance, spiced by some deft touches and blinding pace, had done enough to win the hearts of many Zimbabweans who watched the game live on television.
Today, Musona will also get an opportunity to play with a different set of Warriors teammates as coach Sunday Chidzambwa has had to call up the bulk of the players who will do duty for Zimbabwe in the opening round of the African Championships of Nations qualifiers.
In the game against Bafana Bafana, Chidza-mbwa had eight players who ply their trade in the South African Premiership including goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini, defenders Zhaimu Jambo and Thomas Sweswe, midfielders Esrom Nyandoro, Archieford Gutu and Tinashe Nengomasha and the striking pair of Kingstone Nkatha and Musona.
The Warriors will begin their 2011 CHAN campaign with an away assignment against Swaziland at the Somhlolo National Stadium in Mbabane on March 14.
The CHAN tournament, which alternates with the African Cup of Nations, is a competition, which the Confederation of African Football has designed, specifically for those players who are playing in their domestic leagues.
But before the Warriors can think of the
Musona in for Warriors’ tie
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Swaziland test, they would have to deal with the threat posed by the Flames in this afternoon’s friendly — a rare opportunity for the senior team to capitalise on a Fifa date for international friendlies.
Unlike in the match against Bafana Bafana, when the Warriors struggled for match fitness in the second period, the Flames are likely to find the hosts a different proposition what with the players having had at least five weeks of pre-season training at their respective clubs,
Today’s match against the Flames will also mark the start of the Warriors preparations for the CHAN campaign.
While the Warriors appear on course, the same cannot be said of their opponents Sihlangu with the Swazi senior team struggling to convince their nationals that they are ready for the competition.
Sihlangu, under the guidance of South African coach Ephraim Shakes’’ Mashaba, played back to back friendly matches against Bafana Bafana’s B team, drawing the first encounter 1-1 before being outsmarted 2-0 in the second game at the Somhlolo.
That Bafana Bafana B team featured the likes of Kaizer Chiefs’ Michael Nkambule, Thabo Moleko, goalkeeper Jacob Mokhasi Orlando Pirates’ Oupa Manyisa and Fanyana Mokoena.
Earlier last week, Sihlangu’s camp was hit by suspensions of a number of players for alleged indiscipline.
But it is the slow pace of their preparations that has left the Swaziland media questioning the state of preparedness of Sihlangu.
"Sihlangu must brace themselves for baptism of fire when they face Zimbabwe during the CHAN after they were embarrassed by a disjointed South African B squad in a practice match at the Somhlolo National Stadium.
"It’s a shame that the local squad failed to beat the South Africans compromising mostly of Under-23 and fringe players in the South African Premiership as the could only manage a 1-1 draw against the same team at Mavuiso Sports ground.
"In that game Sihlangu were forced to come from behind to grab their draw. In yesterday’s game they were simply poor,’’ wrote the Swazi Observer after Sihlangu’s 2-0 defeat on Sunday night. |
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