Zimbabwe's football team Mighty Warriors embark on their biggest soccer match played by a national team when they take on Germany - and...
- Advertisement -
Zimbabwe's football team Mighty Warriors embark on their biggest soccer match played by a national team when they take on Germany - and their coach admits the huge gap in class between the two sides.
International bookmakers were by last night refusing to take bets on the Germans winning tonight’s match.
They believe it is a mere formality and they were prepared to pay as much as $50 per every dollar bet on the Mighty Warriors staging a historic upset.
The Mighty Warriors might have written one of football’s greatest romantic stories by qualifying for the Olympics.
They dismissed continental heavyweights Cameroon, but they now come up with the real deal, a German team that is one of the very best in the world.
The Mighty Warriors might have written one of football’s greatest romantic stories by qualifying for the Olympics.
They dismissed continental heavyweights Cameroon, but they now come up with the real deal, a German team that is one of the very best in the world.
 |
| The Germany Women National Team |
The Group F match kicks-off at 11pm at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo and will be live on SuperSport 3.
The Mighty Warriors are the first Zimbabwean athletes to plunge into action at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, two days before the official opening of the event set for tomorrow. Mlauzi yesterday said considering there was a vast difference in quality between the two sides.
“It’s not going to be easy obviously. It’s our first time here. We are taking it as a very good platform to see our state of preparedness as a nation and at the same time to build for the future for these types of tournaments,” said the coach.
“We are hoping we will stand our own and be in a position to give the Germans a difficult match. And, at the same time, if they are not careful, we might cause a shocker here.
“It’s quite a tall order, but we are hoping the girls can come through and compete. It’s not about coming here and wanting to win the tournament because there is still a big gap between Africa and the rest of the world at the moment.
“It’s quite an exciting experience that we are going through as a nation and as the Mighty Warriors.”
Mlauzi noted that while they are competing at the Games for the first time against an experienced side.
“We know that we will be up against a team that is very physical. They have got very good height, they are very strong in the air,” said Mlauzi.
“Because of their ranking and their experience they are most likely to dominate possession. So we will be more than happy to sit back, absorb the pressure and then, whenever we can.
"We will catch them on the break because that’s what we have been focusing on. But again it is important that we remain organised defensively.
The Germany team have experienced players such as defenders Saskia Bartusiak, Annike Krahn and Babett — midfielders — Simone Laudehr and Melanie Behringer and striker Anja Mittag.
They were all part of the team that won a bronze medal in the 2008 Games, in Beijing. Alexandra Popp is also one of their best players. “We’re going to the tournament to win gold. That’s our aim. I think we’ve got the quality to compete for the title,” she told FIFA.com.
“We’ve learned a lot in the last few years, especially last year at the World Cup. We’ve got players here who picked up a lot of experience at the World Cup.
“It may be a different competition now, but we’re in tournament mode and we’re prepared for certain things. We’ve developed in terms of our playing style too and we’re a really good team.
The Germany team have experienced players such as defenders Saskia Bartusiak, Annike Krahn and Babett — midfielders — Simone Laudehr and Melanie Behringer and striker Anja Mittag.
They were all part of the team that won a bronze medal in the 2008 Games, in Beijing. Alexandra Popp is also one of their best players. “We’re going to the tournament to win gold. That’s our aim. I think we’ve got the quality to compete for the title,” she told FIFA.com.
“We’ve learned a lot in the last few years, especially last year at the World Cup. We’ve got players here who picked up a lot of experience at the World Cup.
“It may be a different competition now, but we’re in tournament mode and we’re prepared for certain things. We’ve developed in terms of our playing style too and we’re a really good team.
"Our quality out on the pitch has also gone up a notch since last year. That’s why I’ve got a good feeling that things can work out this year.” - The Herald
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
Tinzwei Is A Worth Voyage For Those In Pursuit For Up-To-Date World Events.
Read More At The Online Coronavirus Portal Or Use The 24-Hour Public Hotline:
South Africa: 0800 029 999 or just Send Hie to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp
No comments