Zimbabwe’s Young Warriors are desperate for redemption as they face Eswatini in their second match of the CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations COSAFA Qualifiers at Ngoni Stadium this Saturday. The hosts are under pressure after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Mozambique in their opener, a result that left them rooted at the bottom of Group A with no points. Only victory in their remaining two fixtures will keep their semi-final hopes alive and they know that anything less will end their campaign prematurely.
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Book NowTheir next opponents Eswatini are also licking wounds after being dismantled by Comoros in the tournament’s opening match on Thursday, setting the stage for a clash where both sides are desperate to recover. Zimbabwe will count on home advantage and a fired-up squad to find the goals that eluded them in the first match and to keep the dream alive. In the other Group A tie Mozambique will lock horns with Comoros in a battle of early pace-setters.
Elsewhere, the tournament produced fireworks on Friday with Angola thrashing Botswana 5-0 and South Africa cruising to a 4-0 win over Zambia in Group C. Group B action at Ngoni Stadium saw Malawi edge Madagascar 3-1 while Lesotho prevailed 3-2 against Mauritius in a five-goal thriller. With three group winners and the best runner-up set to advance to the semi-finals, every game now carries the weight of a knockout contest. Ultimately, the top three teams at this year’s COSAFA Under-17 tournament will qualify for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, making Zimbabwe’s clash against Eswatini a must-win test of resilience and ambition.
