Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE’s senior national football team, the Warriors, have now gone a year without securing an international win, following a defeat to Algeria in a friendly match in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
The Warriors struggled to match Algeria’s pace and work rate in Jeddah, ultimately succumbing to their opponents in the international friendly.
The defeat meant that Zimbabwe had gone for a year without winning a match, barring the COSAFA Cup, when Zimbabwe sent in a developmental side.
On the international level, Zimbabwe’s last victory was on the 24th of October last year, when they beat Namibia 3-1 in South Africa.
In that period, the Warriors have played nine matches, picking up just four points from draws while losing five matches.
During the time, they have scored just six goals, while letting in 12.
The latest defeat to Africa’s 4th-ranked team, Algeria, comes as no surprise, but the question is, when will the Warriors rise again?
Is it time for the Warriors to look beyond many battle-hardened stars and start afresh with young blood. After all, during the match against Algeria, the younger players who were introduced in the second half showed the zeal and fighting spirit which was lacking in the first half.
In the last decade, the Warriors have basically been hovering around position 120 on the world rankings – showing exactly that the struggles are long-term.
With their backs against the wall, the Warriors need to dust themselves off and face Qatar in Doha next Monday in the last friendly in this international break.
Zimbabwe is using the two matches to prepare for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off next month in Morocco.
