Warriors out to tame Crocs Zimbabwe’s Ocean Mushure (left) is all focused on the battle during the Warriors’ COSAFA Castle Cup quarter-final match against Swaziland
Warriors

Warriors

Petros Kausiyo in SUN CITY, South Africa
AS Zimbabwe brace for their COSAFA Castle Cup semi-final clash against Lesotho tonight, the Warriors are having to grapple with fatigue from a congested fixture programme that has come with their progress in the tournament.

The Warriors and the Crocodiles will square off in the second of the semi-final deciders at Moruleng Stadium at 7.30pm.

While the Warriors have been the most impressive side so far and have been installed tournament favourites, they have had to also pay the ultimate price of winning through from a gruelling first round programme.

Lesotho had a bye and started from the quarter-finals. “When we played against Swaziland you could see that fatigue played a part in the second half but we then managed to change things around and put more pressure on them again until the end and from that we got our second goal,’’ coach Sunday Chidzambwa said.

“I think we need to make full use of the chances that come our way, especially in the first half, and I have always said to these players that getting early goals will unsettle our opponents and it will help us to control the game. “We will try and score early goals but if we can’t it will be tough luck and we will have to fight the hard way.’’

The coach also remains wary of an element of complacency on his players. “I think so far we have done very well considering that we went through the group stages and we finished on top, went through the quarter-finals and now we must deal with the semi-finals,’’ he said.

“I think the most important thing is for us to guard against complacency. We have played against some good sides and Lesotho being Lesotho if we play well we will go through to the finals but we have to guard against being complacent.’’

Chidzambwa said passing the gruelling group test also showed his team’s resilience with the coach giving right back Jameson Mukombwe a small chance of recovering in time for tonight’s game.

“Mukombwe is still injured and I just hope he is going to be okay for the semi-finals, which I doubt but I will still have to check with the doctors,’’ said Chidzambwa. Skipper Ovidy Karuru, now just two goals shy of Peter Ndlovu’s tournament record of eight, is expected to once again lead from the front.

“When we came here it was not about an individual but about the team and it is still all about the team,’’ he said. ‘’It’s down to great teamwork that I have scored all those goals because I have great players around me who understand my runs and have been providing the assists.

“Our aim is to keep intact the coach’s record in this Cup. He has never lost a COSAFA Castle Cup match. “We saw a bit of Lesotho on Saturday and should not underrate them.’’

The Crocodiles have never won this competition and lost to Zimbabwe in the 2000 final. Lesotho, who rarely change their COSAFA squad, reached the quarter-finals last year in Namibia but were unlucky to lose to eventual winners South Africa on penalties.

Five of the Crocodiles players, including skipper Mafa Moremoholo who are in the side to face the Warriors tonight, were in Harare earlier in April for a Champions League assignment with Lioli who played CAPS United.

But they will not find any familiar faces in Chidzambwa’s side as CAPS United players are not taking part in the COSAFA Castle Cup owing to their Champions League commitments.

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