Jordan Zemura: ‘My first Zim goal…either on Thursday or Monday, either way one is coming’

Jordan Zemura is eyeing his first Warriors goal after his Watford breakthrough, as he returns to the Zimbabwe squad for the back-to-back 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Equatorial Guinea.

The talented left-back returns after injury ruled him out of the first round of qualifiers against Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He returns as the Warriors seek to complete a double over Equatorial Guinea in back-to-back fixtures.

This year, Zemura clocks six years since his Warriors debut. He debuted against Algeria on 12 November 2020 during the 2021 AFCON qualifiers and has gone on to feature in 23 matches, with four assists but no goal to his name.

As such, he is eyeing his first goal for Zimbabwe against Equatorial Guinea, coincidentally on 12 November in Yaounde, Cameroon, the same day he made his debut in 2020. The return leg is at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on Monday, 16 November.

ZEMURA’S TARGET: FIRST GOAL FOR THE WARRIORS

While it is a must for Ramon Catala and his men to collect six points to enhance qualification, for Zemura, his personal target for this week is simple.

“Personal targets for this week, simple. My first Zim goal. I haven’t scored for the national team. I’ve been here for six years I think, or five years, and I haven’t scored a goal yet. A few assists, a few good games, but I’m yet to score. But this time it’s either on Thursday or Monday. Either one is coming. That is genuinely my target,” Zemura said.

Jordan Zemura with his October Goal of the Month award. Picture by Watford FC

His confidence is high after scoring his first goal for Watford last month. The stunning chipped finish in Watford’s 2-0 victory over Charlton Athletic on 17 October was voted Watford’s Goal of the Month for October.

ZEMURA THRILLED TO BE BACK IN WARRIORS FOLD

He is now hoping to score another spectacular goal for Zimbabwe, one that can also get the same recognition. Speaking on his return, Zemura said he is happy to be back:

“Thank you, God. You know, I’m very happy to be back. It’s nice to be back with the national team. Obviously, I was disappointed to miss out on AFCON after all the group games that I played.

“So now I’m back after last camp I missed due to injury, but I’m feeling good. I’m feeling strong and I’m looking forward to playing back at the National Sports Stadium.”

It is his first time working under the new Warriors coaching staff, and he has been impressed by their approach:

“Yeah, it’s my first time with the coaching staff and obviously there’s a big difference in terms of their attention to detail. That’s what I’ve realized. They’re very much focused on the team and also the opposition,” Zemura added.

“So we did a very good training session. Before the training session, we did some video analysis which gives a really good insight into how Equatorial Guinea play. So, looking forward to it.”

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