Warriors go down to late Burundi strike

From Petros Kausiyo in BUJUMBURA, Burundi

Burundi ………………….(0) 2

Zimbabwe………………..(0) 1

ZIMBABWE’S Warriors were left cursing their luck after they fell to a late Valerie Nahayo strike in a 2013 African Cup of Nations, first round, first leg clash against Burundi at the Prince Louis Stadium yesterday, in an upset that thrilled the underdogs.

But the Warriors will remain favourites to advance, thanks to their priceless away goal, when the two teams meet in the return leg in June. With the match seemingly headed for a draw, Burundi skipper Nahayo rose unmarked to power home a header off an 89th minute corner, past Tapuwa Kapini that left Rahman Gumbo’s tiring men stunned.

Warriors’ talisman Knowledge Musona had drawn the visitors level in the 58th minute, his low shot cancelling out a 46th minute opener by Swallows’ substitute Rodi Mavugo.

But it was the proverbial sucker punch from former Kaizer Chiefs centreback Nahayo that broke the Warriors’ hearts and those of their merry band of supporters made up of Zimbabweans resident here.

Ironically, Nahayo’s winner came off the only corner that Burundi had managed in the second half in which they played second fiddle for long periods. The Warriors now have to ensure they turn the tables on the Swallows in the return leg at Rufaro on June 3 if they are to proceed to the second and final qualifying round.

Yet Gumbo’s hastily-assembled side could have made a big statement about their claim to become the regular Warriors when they upped their game just after falling behind early in the second period.

The Warriors, clearly struggling for cohesion in the opening half, did well to make up for their failure to gel well by playing a pressing game and retaining possession which kept the hosts at bay and meant that captain and goalkeeper Kapini was hardly tested.

With play mainly concentrated in the middle, it was the hosts who made the first attempt on goal in the 17th minute when Poland-based winger Saidi Ntibazonkiza, who gave Tapiwa Kumbuyani a torrid afternoon, set up Faty Papy. But the latter, who plays for APR in neighbouring Rwanda, failed to connect the cross with Kapini badly exposed.

Two minutes later Musona, who was always threatening despite having to shake off jet leg after arriving here just hours before the game, forced Burundi goalkeeper Janvier Ndikunana to dive to his right and punch out for a corner, a 20-metre drive struck on the run.

Musona, who later complained that he had struggled with “heavy legs’’ in the first half, had a much improved show in the second period, and just like his coach Gumbo and the rest of the team, rued the chances they missed in that half.

The Warriors’ game plan was also thrown off the rails after 33 minutes when Gumbo was forced into an injury-induced substitution after gangly striker Musa Mguni injured his knee after coming worse off from a mid-air tussle with Nahayo. Mguni’s injury forced Gumbo to throw in Platinum Stars’ forward Terrence Mandaza into the fray.

Although the bustling striker — earning only his second cap for the Warriors — caused some problems for the Burundi defence with his aggressive play, he was guilty of missing the best chances that fell to his team in the second half, often lacking the predatory instincts needed at this level of the game.

Plymouth Argyle defender, Onismor Bhasera, was also unlucky to see his rising shot from 30 metres out beat the Swallows goalkeeper but then cannoned off the crossbar.

But if the first half offered very little, there was plenty of action in the second period as the match opened up soon after Mavugo, a 23rd minute replacement for Vasco Da Gama striker Dennis Masumbuko, punished the Warriors for their sloppy defending barely a minute after resumption.

With the natural defensive pair of Dickson Choto and Noel Kaseke having failed to    turn up for the game in Bujumbura, Gumbo threw veteran Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Esrom Nyandoro into the heart of defence where he partnered debutant Arnold Chaka of Mochudi Centre Chiefs in Botswana.

Chaka hardly put a foot wrong and made a strong claim for a regular place in the senior team while Nyandoro had a decent game in his new role but, like most of his teammates, he was clearly jaded as the match wore on.

Another Botswana-based midfielder Mandla Sibanda, however, terribly struggled on his Warriors’ debut and should count himself lucky to have lasted the entire 90 minutes.

But if they struggled to get into their the groove in the first half, the Warriors upped their game in the second period and sent their first signal that an equaliser was on the cards when Mandaza just headed wide from Archford Gutu’s 48th minute corner.

Ten minutes later the equaliser duly arrived when Musona fooled Floribert Ndayisaba and then beat Nahayo for pace to latch onto a long pass from the back by Chaka and, once clear on goal, the TSG Hoffenheim striker struck with precision, a low shot that beat an advancing Ndikunana.

In the 67th minute Vusa Nyoni thought he had put the Warriors ahead only to see his fine left footer rebound off the upright. Musona then slalomed past two defenders and set up Mandaza but the big striker was too slow to pull the trigger and another good chance was lost.

Mandaza turned provider in the 72nd minute when he did well to shake off the challenge of Gilbert Kaze, drew the goalkeeper of his line at a tight angle but still managed to squeeze a reverse pass to Sibanda who, however, shot tamely and allowed the desperate Burundi defenders to scramble the ball away.

Despite their loss, Gumbo was full of praise for his team and reveled that he would recommend that they be retained for the second leg.

“I have to say I am proud of these players, they came at a short notice and did a good job. Burundi is still building and they are certain to bring this same team to Harare and I am sure they can be beaten.

“If you look at it some of the guys we had  in there have not been playing 90 minutes   for a long time and thus the concentration levels went down towards the end and that is the reason why we conceded that late, late goal.

“I think we also took it a little easy in the box when the chances came our way.

“The injury to Musa, who is a more experienced striker, did a lot of damage to our game because he could have done better with the chances that we created,’’ Gumbo said.

Burundi’s Algerian coach Adel Amrouche was over the moon but warned that the Swallows would find it tough in Harare.

Amrouche, however, hinted that despite leading his team to an upset win, yesterday’s game was likely to be his last, claiming he had endured a lot of frustrations in his job over the last five years.

Teams

Burundi: J. Ndikunana, V. Nahayo, D. Habarugira (K. Nizigiyimana 64th minute), G Kaze, H. Hakizinana, F. Papy, F. Ndayisaba (F. Ndayisenga 46th minute), P. Kwizera, C. Amisi, S. Ntibazonkiza, D. Masimbuko (R. Mavugo 23rd minute)

Zimbabwe: T. Kapini, T Kumbuyani, O. Bhasera, E. Nyandoro, A. Chaka, T Nengomasha, A. Gutu, K. Musona, M. Mguni (T. Mandaza 33rd minute), V. Nyoni