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By Ray Munyoro
Warriors captain Ian Nekati says they lacked football basics in their 3-1 defeat to Burkina Faso Wednesday night.
The result saw Zimbabwe crashing out of the ongoing CHAN finals having lost their opening match 1-0 to Cameroon.
Even if they are to win their last game against Mali on Sunday, they will not qualify, making the encounter a dead-rubber.
Cameroon and Mali are already on four points, with two teams qualifying for the quarters from each group.
Speaking to Nhau Sport from Yaoundé today, Nekati said there are no shortcuts in football.
“It’s a lesson learnt, there are no shortcuts in football. The expectations were high but there is also need to understand where we are coming from. We did not kick the ball the whole of 2020.
“We lacked some football basics due to lack of match fitness among other factors. We also suffered a setback after that Covid-19 outbreak in camp,” said Nekati.
He, however, said this is not an excuse for their poor showing and everyone should shoulder the responsibility.
“This is not an excuse. I know we could have done better as a group under those difficult circumstances,” he said.
“We tried our best but it didn’t come out the way we wanted, we now shift focus to Mali and promise to do our best. Of course, the defeat against Burkina Faso was heavy compared to the first but we noted some improvements.”
Nekati said they planned to take their game against Mali on Sunday seriously in order to return home with their spirits high.
“We are taking the game serious because we can’t come home empty-handed. That would be embarrassing on our side. So the guys know it and the coach is motivating us, to at least bring smiles on the faces of our fans,” he said. Nhau/Indaba
