Young Zebras bid for AFCON berth
Kabelo Boranabi | Sunday September 29, 2024 11:37
The local boys would need to reach the final of the COSAFA Championship as only two spots are up for grabs in Mozambique. The team underwent a six-week long training and played a number of preparatory games against Eswatini, Mares and local elite league teams as head coach, Thaloba Nthaga, looked for a more refined side ahead of the qualifier. He said the focus was more on conditioning in the first weeks of training, whilst in the last three weeks, the team shifted focus to refining their tactics. On Wednesday, the Young Zebras had a recovery session before wrapping up their preparations. Nthaga said he had done his homework against the group opponents and expects a positive tournament from his side. Young Zebras are pitted against the hosts, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini in Group A.
'The only team I have seen is Eswatini because we have played them. I do not think the way they would play they are not going to be much different from the senior team. Remember, I travelled to COSAFA with the senior team, and we were in the same group with Eswatini and Mozambique but not Zimbabwe. So I have an idea of what to expect. I expect Zimbabwe to be a bit more direct and physical. I expect Eswatini to be more of the same thing and Mozambique that tries to play possession-based football, so I have an idea of what to expect from the teams in our group,' Nthaga said.
Young Zebras began their quest with a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe yesterday afternoon. Phillip Kaku equalised in the second half for Botswana after the Young Warriors went into the break in the lead. The team will face the masses of the home crowd against Mozambique tomorrow before concluding the group matches against Eswatini on Tuesday. It is the Young Zebras' squad that has a lot of promise and has a couple of Premier League minutes under their belts. Only two players are based abroad. Losika Ratshukudu plies his trade at Ubuntu Cape Town in South Africa whilst Motheo Mogapi is with Fleetwood Town in England. Police XI's attacking midfielder, Boikobo Matakule, is the most experienced of the cohort, with a single senior cap. Township Rollers' Phillip Kaku, Raymond Wetshoemang of Security Systems, and Orapa United's Kamogelo Moloi have the most Premier League minutes. Moloi has started all four of the Ostriches' CAF Confederations Cup preliminary round games. This could be the best Young Zebras' squad since the 2016 squad, which included the likes of Mothusi Cooper, Benson Mangolo and Gape Mohutsiwa.
However, the side could not proceed beyond the group stages of the qualifiers.