WORST CHAN WARRIORS

Rest Mutore

ZIMBABWE have recorded their worst campaign at the CHAN finals after losing 1-0 to Mali at the ongoing tournament on Sunday.

The defeat meant the Warriors are returning home without a point — their worst run ever — having lost the previous two matches.

Zdravko Logarusic’s men lost 1-0 to Cameroon in the opening match and went on to lose 3-1 to Burkina Faso.

The Warriors have never failed to get a point in the previous four editions they qualified.

Though this year’s crop might hide on inactiveness due to Covid-19, they have been facing criticism over their display.

Logarusic is also not being spared after his selection of the squad that travelled to Cameroon and his statistics have been questioned.

The African Nations Championship (CHAN) in its sixth edition, is a tournament exclusive for players who are active in the national championships — and was introduced in 2009.

Zimbabwe qualified five times including the inaugural and ended the campaign without a defeat though they were eliminated in the group stage.

They managed three draws against Ghana, DR Congo and Libya.

In 2011, they lost to South Africa and Niger and managed a win over Ghana to exit the tournament with three points.

Their best run came in 2014 when they lost to Nigeria in the third and fourth places playoffs.

In 2016, they lost to Zambia and Mali and drew against Uganda and returned home with a point.

They did not qualify in 2018.