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.
Their 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.
