The ManicaPost
Fungayi Munyoro Sports Correspondent
ZIMBAWE Warriors caretaker coach Joey ‘Mafero’ Antipas says he is happy with his charges’ performance during the 2022 World Cup qualifying match against Somalia played on Tuesday at National Sports Stadium, but believes there is room for improvement.
The Zimbabwe Warriors sailed through to the group stages after overcoming a 1-0 first leg deficit by thumping Somalia 3-1 to qualify on a 3-2 goal aggregate. They will join the second round of the qualifiers – 10 groups of four teams each with the winner of the group winning a ticket to the final phase of the qualifiers.
Zimbabwe is making a return after missing the 2018 edition due to a ban which came as a result of failure to pay former coach Jose ‘Valinhos’ Claudinei Georgini his outstanding salaries. They last saw World Cup action in 2013.
The Warriors are now waiting for the group stages draw, to be conducted by Fifa, to know the nations they will face as they seek a maiden appearance at the global football festival.
Despite the players having to assemble a few days before the match, Antipas said he was happy with the players’ attitude and commitment. It was Antipas’ second game in charge of the Warriors.
“I am happy with the spirit that these players have shown. We managed to pull a win which was important for us. I am very happy with the win but there is room for improvement .The main thing was to qualify. The team will improve because we have not been working together and we only had two training session. The performance was commendable considering our preparations. We managed to compete and come out victorious. I am happy with the outcome,” he said.
The Chicken Inn gaffer acknowledged that Somalia gave them a hard time.
“They got an opportunity and scored, it became difficult for us, but we kept probing and pushing. It was that belief which gave us the victory. I am quite happy to win against the so-called small team. There are no more small teams in football,” he said.
Antipas contends that his charges were an improved lot from the first leg.
“This time, we built from the first leg’s show and it was a much better display. It was difficult, but we dominated the entire match. We will keep on working on that we raise the bar and get the results going forward. With the blessing from Zifa, we are looking forward to bringing in more players on board. We want to raise our standards,” he said.
