DISAPPOINTING HOMECOMING: Warriors fall to DRC on return to NSS
What was meant to be a perfect homecoming party for the Warriors turned into a disappointing night, as the Ramon Catala-led side crumbled 2-1 at the hands of DR Congo in a 2027 AFCON qualifier.
With the 31,000-seater National Sports Stadium filled to its rafters, the Warriors tiptoed onto the turf confident of a win following their dramatic 3-2 victory over Sierra Leone on Thursday last week but it was not to be.
The visitors kicked off the match with absolute dominance, with Samuel Moutoussamy and Ngal’ayel Mukau pulling the strings in midfield.
The Warriors had some promising chances, with Marshall Munetsi’s flashing header from inside the box missing the target from Tawanda Chirewa’s delivery after the 20th minute.
WARRIORS GIVEN A REALITY CHECK BY DR CONGO
DR Congo made the Warriors pay, as Yoane Wissa had the easiest of tasks to slot the ball home after Elvis Chipezeze fumbled what appeared to be a rather harmless cross after the half-hour mark.
The Warriors had themselves to blame moments later when they failed to hit the target twice in quick succession. Thando Ngwenya saw his rasping shot repelled by DR Congo goalkeeper Matthieu Epolo and Munetsi fluffed the rebound.
It got worse when the Warriors were caught on the counter just before the half-time break. Munetsi and Tawanda Maswanhise failed to combine at the edge of the box and were dispossessed, as Wissa broke loose before finding Moutoussamy, whose low shot beat Chipezeze. The centre-back pairing of Kelvin Moyo and Munashe Garananga were left chasing shadows.
The Warriors trailed at half-time. When the second half started, the legion of fans hoped for another dramatic comeback. Catala tinkered with his squad, introducing Emmanuel Jalai and Sean Fusire for Andy Rinomhota and Tawanda Maswanhise.
Divine Lunga and Daniel Msendami were also introduced for Shane Maroodza and Bill Antonio. However, the changes were not as impactful as they were against Sierra Leone.
It was only Msendami who had a decent chance at goal on the 70th minute, but his effort was tame. In truth, the DR Congo goalkeeper was hardly tested in the second half.
The Warriors, however, pulled one back via Marshall Munetsi, who tapped the ball home from a corner-kick following poor defending by the Congolese team.
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