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Sydney Kawadza Herald Senior Reporter
THE Warriors’ triumph in the 2017 COSAFA Castle Cup soccer final against bitter rivals Zambia at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in South Africa’s North West province yesterday has underscored the national soccer team’s dominance in the Southern African Region.

The win could also be the turn-around that ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa and his executive have been praying for after years of agonising defeats since the last win in 2009.

The Warriors tumbled all the records on a sunny-drenched afternoon at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in South Africa.

The Zimbabwean national team have now won a record five COSAFA Castle Cups with yesterday’s convincing 3-1 win over Zambia.

In fact, Zimbabwe now lead in COSAFA Castle Cup titles with five, one more than Zambia and South Africa.

For the Zambians, it is a record fifth defeat in the final of the regional showpiece. Zimbabwe skipper Ovidy Karuru finished as top scorer in the 2017 COSAFA Castle Cup with six goals, one more than compatriot Knox Mutizwa.

Zimbabwe collect R500 000 as winners of the competition, while Zambia take home R250 000.

Tanzania finished third at this year’s tournament, while hosts South Africa picked up the Plate trophy.

The Warriors were tied with their northern counterparts who became unstuck as their senior national team continues to disappoint despite encouraging results from their national Under-20 side which has been impressive on the international arena.

This was also the fourth time the two regional soccer giants have met in the same tournament with Zimbabwe having previously won two meetings at Mmabatho Stadium in Mafikeng under Charles Mhlauri and Rufaro with Chidzambwa in charge.

Zambia have beaten Zimbabwe once in the tournament at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola in 2013 when the Warriors were under the guidance of German Klaus Dieter Pagels.

As if that was not enough, the 19 goals that the Warriors scored in six matches during the past two weeks of action in South Africa is also a record for the tournament.

To add to the records that tumbled during this year’s addition, co-skipper Karuru also scored the most goals — SIX — in a single tournament in the regional competition’s 20-year history.

Karuru’s six goals beat the previous record of joint leaders Sarivahy Vombola (2015) of Madagascar and Swaziland’s Felix Badenhorst (2016).

Warriors coach Sunday Chidzambwa, who has not lost a COSAFA Castle Cup match in his coaching career, also broke another record by winning his third trophy from the tournament.

Chidzambwa last presided over the Warriors 3-1 thrashing of Zambia in November 2009, to secure his second COSAFA Castle Cup title and it also became the last time that the 65-year-old coach had taken charge of the senior team.

The gods must be smiling on the Zimbabwean national soccer team who also dismissed Liberia 3-0 in the 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

One might argue that there is something the Chiyangwa-led executive is doing right.

After several years of near misses and total disasters, Zimbabwe can confidently say they are BACK!

These are the positives that the exuberant Chiyangwa has promised the soccer fraternity can forgive the ZIFA and COSAFA president for the joy he exhibited when he handed his boys the trophy yesterday.

Chiyangwa seems to be delivering on the several promises that he made when he defeated Trevor Carelse-Juul for the ZIFA presidency. The recent triumphs have shown that Zimbabwe has the potential to challenge for major honours on the continent and realise its full potential as a soccer powerhouse in Africa.

It’s also commendable that the Warriors have quickly bounced back from their disappointing 2016 AFCON outing when they looked like an ordinary team.

It is, however, imperative that ZIFA and all stakeholders in the national game put their hands together and build, not only on the COSAFA Castle Cup successes, but the huge potential that has been exhibited during the recent encounters.

The fact that Zimbabwe continues to climb the FIFA World Rankings is also an incentive that could lure all the talent spread across the globe and boost coach Norman Mapeza’s team as they fight for a berth at the next AFCON tournament.

We believe as a nation and we have an amazing future ahead of us as a football-crazy nation.