Nakamba joins special class

Langton Nyakwenda, Harare Bureau

SHOULD Zimbabwe avoid defeat against Cameroon in their last Group J Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Yaoundé on Tuesday, then German coach Michael Nees and his captain Marvelous Nakamba will make history.

The Warriors qualified for next year’s Afcon finals after labouring to a 1-1 draw against Kenya on Friday night, a result that pushed them to nine points and two behind group leaders Cameroon.

But most importantly, Zimbabwe are yet to taste defeat in this qualifying campaign.
Avoiding defeat against the Indomitable Lions on Tuesday then Zimbabwe will end an Afcon qualifying campaign without losing a single match since 2004 when they made their debut.

The Zimbabwe Warriors

So far, the Warriors have two wins and three draws from their five qualifiers.
They opened their campaign with two successive 0-0 draws against Kenya and Cameroon in Uganda in September.

Zimbabwe then beat Namibia in back-to-back clashes staged at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg in October.
On Friday, Nees’ men surrendered a 1-0 first-half lead to settle for a draw that ensured their place at next year’s Afcon finals.

When the Warriors qualified for the 2004 finals in Tunisia, they were the best runners-up, after managing four wins, one draw and one loss.
They finished with the same number of points, 13, with Group Six winners Mali, but the Warriors had an inferior goal difference.

Marvelous Nakamba challenges for the ball

Zimbabwe qualified for the 2006 finals in Egypt as the best third placed team.
Angola and Nigeria were joint leaders of a six-team Group Four with 21 points each while the Warriors managed 15 from four wins, three draws and three losses.

In the run-up to the 2017 finals, Zimbabwe topped Group L with 11 points from three wins, two draws and one loss.
When they qualified for the 2019 jamboree, Zimbabwe had topped Group G with 11 points from three wins, two draws and one loss.

The road to the 2021 finals saw Zimbabwe finishing second behind Algeria in Group.
The Warriors raked in eight points from two wins, two draws and two losses.

Nees becomes the first foreign coach to lead the Warriors to the Afcon finals, having taken charge of all the qualifiers from start to finish.
Croat Zdravko Logarusic was in charge when the Warriors qualified for the 2022 finals but he had taken over from Joey Antipas midway through the campaign.
Luton Town midfielder, Nakamba, has also joined a special class of captains who have led the Warriors to the Promised Land.

Marvelous Nakamba

The legendary Peter Ndlovu was the pioneer.
He led Zimbabwe to their first ever Afcon final appearance in 2004.
Ndlovu was also the captain when the Warriors made it twice in a row in 2006.

Willard Katsande wore the armband during the 2017 qualifiers while Knowledge Musona led the troops during the 2019 and 2021 campaigns.
Nakamba has become the latest Warriors captain to achieve the feat.

“We are happy my brother, this group of players is special and captaining them has been a pleasure,” Nakamba told Zimpapers Sports Hub, soon after the Warriors’ 1-1 draw against Kenya on Friday night.

“It is always good to give your all, especially for your country and I am happy to have led the Warriors to the Afcon finals.
“Credit goes to the coaches and the whole team, we worked as one family and the environment was always good.”

Nakamba’s father, Antony, is proud of his boy.
“Leading the country to the Afcon finals is an honour and Marve (Nakamba) was always telling me how he wanted to achieve this,” said Antony, a former Premier Soccer League player with Hwange.