Kadewere continues to shine
WARRIORS striker Tino Kadewere’s stock continues to rise in France after he scored his fourth goal of the season for Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon to beat Angers SCO at the Stade Raymond Kopa on Sunday.
Kadewere’s solitary strike 12 minutes before fulltime assured Lyon of maximum points and they temporarily moved to second spot on the Ligue 1 table before Lille clobbered Lorient 4-0 to dislodge them.
Kadewere struck after being set up by Léo Dubois in a move that also involved Moussa Dembélé.
After Sunday's away victory, Lyon coach Rudi Garcia said it was important to be clinical when opportunities are presented.
“We knew that some players would get tired after the international break. You have to be careful with them so as not to injure them... When you have the opportunity, you take it and that's a good thing. You also need to know how to be clinical,” Garcia said.
Before the international break Kadewere grabbed a brace that saw his side beat St Étienne 2-1 on November 8.
“The Zimbabwean revealed he had dreamt of scoring a brace against AS Saint-Etienne in the derby just before the international break, before proceeding to do just that. It is turning into a dream introduction to life in the topflight for the former Le Havre striker. Playing wide in a front three with Depay through the centre and Rayan Cherki on the other side, Kadewere popped up in the middle to score the late winning goal, his fourth in Lyon’s last five outings,” writes Newsligue 1.
Four days after notching the brace Kadewere represented his country and scored the consolation goal when the Warriors were humbled 3-1 by Algeria in a Group H Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Algeria.
He also featured in the return fixture at the National Sports Stadium on November 16 and did not disappoint although he was not on target.
Lyon have gone eight games without tasting defeat. In total they have played 11 games in which they have won five, drew five and lost one and the Zimbabwean has been instrumental in that feat.
He scored his first goal for Lyon in the 3-2 win over Strasbourg on October 18.
Lyon’s next match is a home fixture against Warriors midfielder Marshall Munetsi’s Stade de Reims at the Park Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday.
Kadewere is tipped to be the next Zimbabwean to play in the English Premier League.