WARRIORS coach Michael Nees is proud of his players for putting up an impressive performance against African giants Cameroon in the final Group J in Yaounde on Tuesday.
The Warriors narrowly lost the match 2-1 in their first defeat of the campaign and also a first defeat for the German coach since he was appointed to coach the team in August this year.
Zimbabwe returned to the Africa Cup of Nations finals after they missed the 2023 edition due to a Fifa ban
And on Tuesday, the Warriors played a brilliant second half against the five-time African champions in their own backyard and were unlucky not to earn a draw after a late goal by Terrence Dzvukamanja was flagged offside.
Nees and his men went into the match after a 35-hour flight and only had one training session before facing the Indomitable Lions.
“Today was the ultimate character test for us. We came in the most difficult of situations: 35 hours travel, no training, our vice-captain Marshall Munetsi, our midfield engine, I had to release him because he was slightly injured, a key player for us. We had two defenders missing and we managed to cope under difficult circumstances in the afternoon sun. I told them that if you are able to give a real challenge today, then we don’t need to be afraid of anybody,” Nees told journalists after the match.
“We played them (Cameroon) two times, one draw and the other one we lost by just one goal under very difficult circumstances and you saw the character of our team. Honestly, I am very really proud of them. They showed good character, not only the players, but everybody around the team, they pulled in one direction and we were a clear unit.”
Zimbabwe had a slow start to the game and were two goals down about halfway through the first half courtesy of goals from Vincent Aboubakar and Georges-Kévin N’Koudou.
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Dzvukamanja pulled a goal back for Zimbabwe late in the second half and ensured a nervy finish to the game for the hosts, who were lucky to come out of the match with a point.
Nees also spoke about the tactic going into the game and the poor finishing upfront.
“We wanted to keep the game open until the 60th minute. That was our objective tactically. We hoped that the difference would be one goal or a draw,” he said.
“You cannot really say what was wrong with the finishing because sometimes, it is just those small details like maybe lack of accuracy, energy and concentration, maybe the pressure from the defenders. If we had changed our gear earlier, I think we would have done better.
“I think the deficit was too much. One goal I think we could have turned it around, two goals is very difficult. I think it gives a team like Cameroon a lot of confidence. Even when you make a mistake, you are still one goal ahead.”
The Warriors finished second in the group with nine points from six matches, while Cameroon finished top of the standings with 14 points.
