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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
KNOWLEDGE MUSONA’S two assists in Lusaka, Zambia, on Tuesday night drew him closer to Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, while taking him clear of Senegalese ace, Sadio Mane, in terms of personal contribution, in AFCON qualifiers.

It’s yet another remarkable chapter, in the amazing story of the Smiling Assassin, when it comes to the Warriors, despite all the challenges he has faced in European football, since arriving at German side Hoffenheim in July 2011.

His recruitment came at a time when the Bundesliga was beginning to cast its spell across European football again, culminating in its two heavyweight clubs – Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – meeting in the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley just two years after Musona’s arrival.

Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino had also arrived at Hoffenheim, seven months earlier, from Figueirense.

However, the Zimbabwean struggled to adjust, and make the expected impact, at the Bundesliga side and was loaned to another team, Augsburg, before another loan deal took him back to Chiefs and then Belgium where he is now contracted with Anderlecht.

In sharp contrast, Firmino, who is a year younger than Musona, thrived at Hoffenheim and – despite some disciplinary issues, including being dropped from the first team for arriving at training late – and in June 2015, he completed a £29 million move to Liverpool.

At Anfield, Firmino, Salah and Mane have formed an awesome three-man demolition squad, leading the Liverpool attack, and helped the Reds win the UEFA Champions League this year. They have also powered their team to an eight-point lead in this season’s English championship race.

While Firmino, Salah and Sane have become destroying defences, in England and across Europe, Musona has been struggling to break into an Anderlecht side that is in 10th place, in the 16-team Belgian top-flight league, where they trail leaders Club Brugge by 13 points. Reports have suggested Musona could be traded, after he spent the second part of last season, away on loan.

However, for all his struggles at club level, Musona transforms himself into a different monster, when it comes to national team duty and, his contributions to his country’s cause – in a game that has become scientific, where everything can be broken down to every pass, distance covered, minute spent on the field – has been phenomenal.

On Tuesday night, the Smiling Assassin provided the two assists for Khama Billiat’s goals which helped the Warriors inflict an historic 2-1 win over bitter rivals Zambia in a 2021 AFCON qualifier at the Heroes Stadium in Lusaka.

Despite his inclusion in the team being questioned by some analysts, Musona didn’t let all that deflect his focus and, after being entrusted with the responsibility of captaining the team, he didn’t let his country down as he led from the front to help his side power to a great victory. Musona first picked Billiat with a ball flighted from a corner, for the Chiefs forward to head the Warriors into the lead, before the skipper split the Zambian defence, with a ball that found his teammate in acres of space in the opponents’ penalty area, for the killer goal late in the match.

‘‘Lord, I give it up to you,’’ Musona said on Twitter after the victory in Zambia.

Former Zimbabwe international, Cephas Chimedza, who is based in Belgium and has been very supportive of Musona, also took to Twitter to salute the Warriors skipper.

‘‘Well done captain, that awareness (for the pass that helped Billiat score the winner) was top-class (like, Kelvin) De Bruyne.’’

What the statistics show, after his huge contribution in Lusaka on Tuesday night, are that Musona has now drawn closer to Salah and drifted further from Mane, when it comes to contributions to the national team cause, in the AFCON qualifiers in the past decade.

Musona has featured in 20 AFCON qualifiers for the Warriors since making his national team debut, at 18 years, eight months, 10 days and scored 14 goals at healthy average of 0.7 goals every match, in the 1 740 minutes he has featured for his country.

The Smiling Assassin has provided five assists, including the two in Lusaka on Tuesday night, while being shown one yellow card and one red card in the Nations Cup qualifiers. Mane, who is two years younger than Musona, has made the same number of appearances (20), as the Warriors skipper in the AFCON qualifiers since making his debut for Senegal on May 25, 2012, at 20 years, one month and 15 days.

The Liverpool striker has scored five goals for the Teranga Lions in the AFCON qualifiers, nine less than the goals Musona has scored for the Warriors in the same number of games, with Mane putting in 1 594 minutes of shifts for his national team cause in the Nations Cup qualifiers. He has an average 0.25 goals per game, in the Nations Cup qualifiers, and has also provided five assists.

Egyptian superstar Salah, the reigning African Footballer of the Year, has played 19 games for the Pharaohs in the AFCON qualifiers since making his debut at the age of 19 years, two months and 19 days on September 3, 2011.

Salah has scored 14 goals made his international debut on September 3, 2011, when he was 19 years, two months and 19 days and has featured in 19 AFCON qualifiers.

He has an average of 0.95 goals per match, in the Nations Cup qualifiers, while he has also provided six assists in the 1 685 minutes he has been on the pitch.

 AFCON QUALIFIERS RECORD

KNOWLEDGE MUSONA: 20 appearances, 14 goals, five assists, 1 740 minutes

SADIO MANE: 20 appearances, 5 goals, 4 assists, 1 594 minutes

MOHAMED SALAH: 19 appearances, 14 goals, six assists, 1 628 minutes