Katsande speaks out:
ZIMBABWE captain Willard Katsande believes their Tuesday night international friendly encounter against Cameroon in Yaoundé provided them with just the kind of test they badly needed before they plunge into African Cup of Nations battle in Gabon on Sunday.
The Warriors will begin their Group B campaign with a date against Algeria at the Stade de Franceville in Franceville on Sunday.
Their other Group assignments will involve showdowns with Senegal on January 19 at the same venue and Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles at the Stade de l’Amitie which is in Libreville on January 23.
Coach Callisto Pasuwa and his men, who arrived in Yaoundé on Monday were in action against the former African champions the following night for their last preparatory game before they head off to Gabon.
The Warriors battled a 1-1 draw against the Indomitable Lions at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in a game in which Katsande and his troops came within seconds of posting a famous win, but for a glaring last-gasp miss by big striker Nyasha Mushekwi.
Tendai Ndoro had thrust the Warriors into the lead after 14 minutes before the hosts replied via a penalty by skipper Moukandjo Benjamin after 28 minutes.
Katsande, speaking after the Warriors held another training session in Yaoundé, said they were pleased with the way they had gone about their business on the night.
“I think we had a great game. From what I saw in this game, I think we are ready and we are going to upset teams,’’ Katsande said.
“Ours is about team work. We thrive on hard work and team effort and that is what we are going to be doing in Gabon . . . it is not about individuals.”
The Kaizer Chiefs hardman said despite missing a chance to upstage the Indomitable Lions in their backyard, the Warriors had drawn some big lessons from the match, which he also reckoned, gave them a better reality check when compared to their last warm-up game against Tanzania at the National Sports Stadium in November last year.
“It was good to see some progress from our previous matches and this game helped us to see some of our weaknesses’’.
While he was happy with the shift they had put in against the hosts who had a decent crowd backing them, Katsande also marvelled at the way the Indomitable Lions applied themselves.
“They kept the ball well and their movement was very good and this is something that we expect to find from our opponents in Gabon so we have to work on ways to counter that.”
Katsande said the fact that the Indomitable Lions drew their players from European leagues ensured they were a different proposition from Tanzania whom they thrashed 3-0 at the National Sports Stadium.
“Tanzania gave us a good match, but they were not as competitive as the Indomitable Lions.
“These guys play in Europe and we will use this game to also plan for the real test now,’’ Katsande said.
With Katsande’s Netherlands-based midfield partner Marvelous Nakamba relegated to the bench as he is suspended for the Warriors opening game against the Desert Foxes, Pasuwa paired his captain with Golden Arrows’ Danny Phiri.
The duo played a key role in forming the first line of defence as the Warriors soaked up the Cameroon pressure especially for much of the second period.
But there was no doubting that Nakamba’s creativity was clearly missed on the night, underlining the significance of the Vitesse man to the Warriors cause.
Katsande said he was also happy with the way the Warriors had absorbed everything that the West Africans had thrown at them in the match in which the hosts forced nine corners against the visitors’ one.
“I think we did well to manage the pressure, they had the crowd behind them which was key for them and also gave us a good test and I think the way we played has given us more hope,’’ Katsande said.
Cameroon coach Hugo Broos was forced to consider other players for his final 23 for their Nations Cup sojourn after the Indomitable Lions were hit by withdrawals of several regulars.
St r i ker Eric Ma xime Choupo-Moting opted to stay with his German club Schalke 04 as did Liverpool’s Joel Matip and six others who declined to play at the tournament that starts in Libreville on Saturday with the Indomitable Lions facing Burkina Faso in the second of the Group A matches.
The other missing Indomitable Lions who chose club ahead of country were Andre Onana (Ajax Amsterdam,) Guy Roland Ndy Assembe (Nancy), Allan Nyom (West-Bromwich-Albion), Maxime Poundje (Girondins-Bordeaux), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Olympique-Marseille) and Ibrahim Amadou (Lille).
In the match against the Warriors, the Indomitable Lions faced such players as goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa who plays for Sevilla in Spain, Ambroise Oyongo who plies his trade with Impact Monreal in the United States, skipper Moukandjo of Lorient in France and defender Fai Collins of Belgian outfit Standard Liege.
Just like the Indomitable Lions, the Desert Foxes are set to line up a host of European-based stars for the showdown with the Warriors with Leicester City’s African Footballer of the Year Riyad Mahrez fronting their attack.
But Katsande was in defiant mood yesterday insisting that his troops would not be intimidated and neither would they be pounded into submission.