Big blow for warriors team

Warriors talisman, Knowledge Musona has been ruled out of the Senegal match on Thursday.

By Tafadzwa Ndiraire

WARRIORS chief striker Knowledge Musona has been ruled out of second match against Senegal on Thursday because of a hamstring injury he sustained in the opening match of the 2017 African Cup of Nations finals against Algeria on Sunday.

Warriors team doctor Nick Munyonga said they were working round the clock to ensure he returned for the third match against Tunisia.

” He will be out of the match against Senegal. We are however working hard to ensure that he is back in the team for the third match against Tunisia. The the good thing is that there is no muscle tear,”said Munyonga.

The Warriors top forward – the joint top goalscorer in the qualifiers with team mate Khama Billiat on three goals sustained the injury 10 minutes into the match against Algeria and was replaced by Mathew Rusike.

The Warriors however managed to hold their fancied opponents to a 2-2 draw with Kuda Mahachi and Nyasha Mushekwi scoring a goal each while Mahrez scored twice for the Desert Foxes.

That draw against Algeria saw Warriors coach Kalisto Pasuwa breaking another record as he became the first Zimbabwean coach to avoid a defeat in the history of the Afcon campaign.

Sunday Chidzambwa the first coach to take Zimbabwe to the Afcon in 2004 and Charles Mhlauri who qualified in 2006 were beaten in the opening matches.

In 2004 in Tunisia at Stade Taïeb El MhiriI in Sfax, Chidzambwa saw Egypt overturning Zimbabwe’s one goal lead courtesy of Peter Ndlovu, to win by a score line of two goals to one.

Two years later under the tutelage of Charles Mhlauri Zimbabwe was to meet Senegal in their first game in Egypt in the 25th edition of the AFCON tournament but two goals without reply from Demba Ba and Henri Camara was all it needed for the Warriors to lose their opening match at the Port Said Stadium. sportbrief.co.zw

Meanwhile the BBC reports that, Algeria winger Riyad Mahrez admitted his side were not at their best as they were held 2-2 by Zimbabwe in their Africa Cup of Nations opener.

The Leicester winger scored both his side’s goals – the second an 82nd-minute equaliser that prevented a shock loss to the rank outsiders.

“We knew the first match was going to be difficult,” Mahrez said.

“We didn’t perform in the first half but played very well in the second half and should have scored more goals.”

He added: “We only have ourselves to blame. We need to keep working and play well in the second match against Tunisia.”

Zimbabwe’s performance was a surprise to many, with few predicting they would be anything other than makeweights in Group B, which also contains Senegal.