BEST FOR THE WIRES
Goodwill Zunidza
Zimbabwe . . . . .(0) 0
Lesotho . . . . . . (2) 2
Zimbabwean nationals based in South Africa who trooped to Orlando Stadium and half-filled the iconic Soweto facility regretted every minute of it and mourned their misspent Rands after being treated to the worst horror show of their lives by an out of sorts Warriors.
The effortless attempt by Jairos Tapera’s charges saw the men’s senior national team succumb to one of their most humiliating defeats ever, gifting Lesotho a rare triumph that took them to the top of a World Cup qualifying table for the first time in their history.
The Warriors had generally been expected to struggle after woeful preparations, if they may be called that, which culminated in the appointment of the least experienced technical team ever to see national duty in competitive matches.
The team was selected for him before hus appointment and he was made to handle professional players though he himself was never one.
How a galaxy of stars plucked from top leagues in Europe such as English Premiership, French Ligue 1, Italian Serie A and Turkish top flight could be reduced to a high school outfit by an entirely domesticated Lesotho side, will boggle the mind for the longest of times.
Tapera had no counter-strategy at all to Lesotho’s clean-passing game and could not even correct basics like the ineffective high balls the Warriors launched into the Crocodiles goalmouth which were all dealt with by playful goalminder Sekhoane Meroane with the Manica Diamonds mentor refraining from yelling to his boys to switch to carpet soccer instead.
Lesotho scored their first goal midway in the first half when keeper Donovan Bernard made a feeble jump to pick out a corner but missed only for lucky and unmarked striker Rathabile Rasethuntsa to push the easy ball across the line.
Zimbabwe never recovered from then and did not even raise the tempo despite winning several freekicks in delicate positions which they thumped away aimlessly.
Only one such set piece by captain Marshall Munetsi at the edge of the box looked purposeful but Meroane parried it to safety.
Wolves forward Tawanda Chirewa, who gave a good account of himself in midfield and was one of few players serious with his game, smashed the left upright post with the Lesotho keeper on the other side of action but that was all Tapera’s boys could offer in the first half.
Lesotho, who now boast five points in Group C and remain unbeaten after two earlier drawn encounters, closed the scoresheet hardly 10 mins after their opener when Jane Thabantsh’o sprinted to a loose ball and fired a low shot past Bernard following timid marking by the otherwise hard-working last man in defence Gerald Takwara.
Lesotho set their delaying tactics in motion as early as the 30th min after their two goals, with Meroane falling theatrically to every bodycheck and taking minutes to rise.
A third goal was denied the Crocodiles when Thabants’o was sent through in the 42nd min and beat the advancing Bernard but shot over the bar despite a yawning goal in front of him.
Tawanda Maswanhise and Trymore Machope were brought in for Tino Kadewere and injured Jordan Zemura soon after the break but their appearance changed nothing with Machope terribly misfiring.
Bernard made a late brilliant save in a one to one situation with a Basotho forward before
Takwara chanced a face-saver with a spectacular overhead kick on 84th min that ricocheted off the woodwork.
Centre-back Teenage Hadebe’s pile-driver a minute later was turned into a subsequently wasted free kick to seal the Warriors fate.
The locals face Bafana Bafana in the fourth Group C qualifier on Tuesday but with only two points – after draws with Rwanda and Nigeria in Rwanda – the campaign is certainly headed for futility
Zimbabwe line-up:
*Bernard, Mbeba, Zemura (Maswanhise 46th), Takwara, Hadebe, Munetsi, Rinomhota, Chirewa, Kadewere (Machope 46th), Lunga, Msendami*
