Gumbo leads Warriors to away draw in Gabon

Gumbo leads Warriors to away draw in Gabon

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By Sports Reporter

FORMER Darryn T striker Shingirai Kawondera scored a gem of a goal to hold Gabon to a one-all draw in a World Cup qualifier in Libreville, Gabon, yesterday, to give stand-in coaches Rahman Gumbo and Brenna Msiska a good start.

Kawondera punished Gabon’s negative play with just five minutes to go with a fantastic goal, beating an offside trap, rounding off the goalkeeper and slotting home from an angle.

This was a good result indeed for Gumbo and his assistant Msiska who were thrust into the hot seat as last minute replacements following the sudden resignation of former head coach Sunday Marimo.

Although the Warriors could have done better by their standards considering that they were playing a lower ranked team, the result is still good enough for them as they are still very much in with a chance to be among the top teams in their group.

The Warriors’ build up to the big match had been thrown into turmoil with the resignation of Marimo who had just picked the team before throwing in the towel.

But Gumbo and Msiska stuck with virtually the same team which had been picked by Marimo and the results have been positive.

The CAPS United pair of striker Brian Badza and utility player Cephas Chimedza were part of the touring party. Also, the Paphos Athletic duo of Kawondera and Joel Lupahla who proved to be a sensation at the African Cup of Nations was also part of the team. So was Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Tinashe Nengomasha as the technical team kept faith in most of the heroes of the African Cup of Nations.

In the same group, Nigeria beat Rwanda 2-0 through goals from Inter Milan striker Obafemi Martins who was making his debut for the Super Eagles. The Super Eagles were without captain Augustine Jay-Jay Okocha and Arsenal striker Nwako Kanu who were dropped for the match.The Warriors will now have to brace up for the clash against the Desert Foxes of Algeria at the National Sports Stadium on June 20. Algeria will be seeking revenge after they were shocked 2-1 by the Warriors at the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia in January.

If the Warriors beat them again this time in Harare, they will become serious contenders for the sole World Cup ticket.
From the Sunday Mirror
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