By Sikhumbuzo Moyo
The Warriors will be seeking to reach an unprecedented century of goals in the history of the Cosafa senior men’s tournament when they get the defence of their title underway in the quarter-final stage this month.
This year’s version of the jamboree gets underway in Polokwane, Limpopo province, in South Africa on May 27, with the final set for June 9.
The Warriors will be eager to add to their 94 goals and become the first team in Cosafa to reach the 100-goal tally.
With the technical department indicating that it wants a full strength squad for the tournament so as to prepare for the Total African Cup of Nations in September, the six goals might not be a far-fetched idea, especially if they can go all the way to the final.
Zimbabwe’s fifth Cosafa Cup success in 2017 also sees them leading the all-time table for the number of matches won since the championship was first launched in 1997.
Both Zimbabwe and Zambia have played 52 matches in the competition, but the Warriors lead with 33 wins, while Chipolopolo have 27. Both sides have lost just eight games in the last 21 years.
Zambia (76 goals) has the next highest number of goals scored in the tourney, with Namibia (62) and South Africa (54) the only other sides to pass the half-century mark.
Zambia have also been involved in the most draws (17), while South Africa have the fewest defeats (seven).>Mozambique, Malawi and Lesotho have lost the most games (19), although Likwena have the worst loss percentage, as their defeats are from 39 games.
Zimbabwe have five titles, followed by Zambia and South Africa with four each, while Angola have three and Namibia (one).
Cosafa Cup all-time table (Member nations only)
P W D L GF GA
Zimbabwe 52 33 11 8 94 38
Zambia 52 27 17 8 76 35
South Africa 41 22 12 7 54 24
Namibia 47 17 16 14 62 50
Angola 40 16 13 11 39 35
Swaziland 39 14 10 15 39 48
Mozambique 42 14 9 19 42 58
Malawi 43 12 12 19 40 54
Madagascar 28 12 5 11 34 31
Lesotho 39 9 11 19 38 54
Botswana 35 6 13 16 24 40
Mauritius 29 6 5 18 21 46
Seychelles 22 1 3 18 14 51
Comoros Islands 6 1 1 4 2 8
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