Tapera scores as another Tapera secures first win as Zimbabwe Warriors coach

SOUTH AFRICA – Michael Tapera’s beautiful strike in the 53rd minute was the difference as the Zimbabwe Warriors secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Comoros at the just started COSAFA Cup competition.

This the Warriors’ first win under coach Jairos Tapera since his appointment on interim basis at the start of June.

Prior to the Comoros victory, coach Tapera took charge of two World Cup qualifiers and lost both against Lesotho (2-0) and South Africa (3-1).

The moment of brilliance came when Manica Diamonds forward, Tapera’s well timed run saw him evading the Comoros defender to tap in home.

The assist came from Tapera’s club teammate Farai Banda, who delivered a superb cross from the left side.

Despite the narrow victory, Zimbabwe’s overall performance left much to be desired, particularly in the first half.

The lackluster performance resulted in the Warriors resorting to long balls.

They struggled to establish a cohesive combination upfront and any attacking strategy, looking disjointed.

All this could be attributed to limited preparation time for the tournament that is held in Gqeberha, South Africa.

This could also be associated with coach Tapera’s public disassociation from the squad selection a day before the team’s departure to South Africa.

According to H-Metro, coach Tapera distanced himself from the 23-man squad competing at the COSAFA Cup.

“I don’t know who (at ZIFA) released the two teams. I haven’t announced anything yet, you will all know when I pick my own players,” said Tapera.

Despite the distractions, the Warriors managed to grind out a narrow win.

The Warriors will be hoping to grind out another positive result when they play the defending champions Zambia on Sunday to progress to the next stage

Zimbabwe will round off its group stage campaign against Kenya next week Tuesday.