20 Feb 2022

Botswana is on the verge of qualifying for the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) for the first time.

The senior national women football team, The Mares,  beat Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors 3-1 in Harare on Friday.

A Lesego Radiakanyo brace and Esalenna Galekhutle’s goal put The Mares in good position to book a ticket to Morocco.

The Mighty Warriors, who had called their foreign based players in the likes of Emmaculate Msipa (Turkey), Rudo Neshamba (Israel) and Nigeria-based Berita Kabwe found it hard to gun down The Mares who had encroached their territory.

Now the Mighty Warriors would have a mountain to climb when they visit The Mares in Francistown on Wednesday.

Botswana would just need a draw to book to reach the Morocco showpiece.

In a post match interview, Botswana coach, Gaolethoo Nkutlwisang, said they managed to execute their game plan, which saw them have an upper hand and score three goals in a somewhat tough encounter away from home.

“We had anticipated Zimbabwe to come with guns blazing in the first minutes of the game. We just had to fight and dominate even though we failed to convert three clear chances in the first half,” she said.

The coach said their game plan worked as they managed to score all their three goals in the second stanza, despite the fact that her midfield was sluggish.

“We have won, but it is not yet over. If we can score three goals on their turf, what will stop them from doing the same with us in our backyard? But what I can tell you is that we are going to fight until the last whistle,” she said.

She further said the technical team had already given players some pep talk to have them focused on the nest game.

Zimbabwe’s freelance journalist, Tatenda Gondo, who attended the game said The Mares looked hungrier for success.

She, however, said in the second leg, The Mares would need to work more on their midfield and minimise offside traps.

“They could have won this game by six goals but missed clear-cut opportunities. For players that each received P11 000, they needed to win this. As for Zimbabwe, they were not creative in the Botswana half hence struggling to score,” she said.

On Wednesday, Gondo said the Mighty Warriors might take to the field with a different starting 11.

“If The Mares are not careful, they might be punished but it would take a miracle for Zimbabwe to score three plus goals against a team that is home and with fans,” she said. Ends