Marshall Munetsi was the hero for Zimbabwe after scoring a brace to help the Warriors register a 3-2 comeback victory over Sierra Leone in their opening Group E AFCON Qualifier at the Ben M’Hmed Stadium in Morocco.
The Warriors appeared destined for defeat after falling 2-0 behind in the first half, but three goals after the break completed a remarkable turnaround and secured all three points for Ramon Catala’s side.
Sierra Leone took the lead as early as the seventh minute when Allie Conte rose to head home, with Zimbabwe goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze unable to keep out the effort.
The Leone Stars doubled their advantage in the 28th minute through Sariellu Tarawallie, who tapped in the rebound after Chipezeze had made an initial save.
Zimbabwe struggled to find their rhythm in the opening half and could have reduced the deficit before the break, but Sean Fusire wasted an opportunity in the 40th minute after receiving a through pass inside the box, firing his effort well wide.
Trailing 2-0 at half-time, Catala introduced Belgium-based winger Bill Antonio at the start of the second half, replacing Fusire.
The change, however, did little to immediately transform Zimbabwe’s fortunes as the Warriors continued to struggle to create clear-cut opportunities.
Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya came close in the 60th minute when he connected with a free-kick delivery from Tawanda Chirewa, but his effort went wide.
The Warriors finally found a way back into the contest in the 72nd minute when Munetsi rose highest to head home from a free-kick and reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The goal breathed new life into Zimbabwe’s challenge, and just two minutes later Chirewa completed the comeback by firing home the equaliser to make it 2-2.
Munetsi then turned the game on its head in the 88th minute, completing his brace to give Zimbabwe a dramatic 3-2 victory.
The win gives Zimbabwe three points from their opening Group E match as they continue their campaign to qualify for the 2027 AFCON finals.
The Warriors will return to action on Monday when they host the Democratic Republic of Congo in their second Group E qualifier at the National Sports Stadium.
DRC also opened their campaign with a victory, beating Equatorial Guinea 2-0 in the other Group E encounter to move to three points alongside Zimbabwe.
