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The Chronicle Zimbabwe / Zimbabwe's Ovidy Karuru is challenged by Abilio Moucuona of Mozambique during the Cosafa Castle Cup match
Zimbabwe launched their campaign for a record fifth COSAFA Cup southern Africa championship title by thrashing Mozambique 4-0 on Monday at Moruleng Stadium in north-west South Africa.
Ovidy Karuru scored in each half before goals from Ocean Mushure and Blessing Majarira wrapped up a convincing Group B win on a cold southern hemisphere winter night.
Victorious coach and former national team captain Sunday Chidzambwa was happy to secure three points but believed the “Warriors” should have triumphed by a wider margin.
“You have to be happy as the coach of a team that has won by four goals, but we missed a lot of scoring chances, especially during the opening half.”
Mozambique coach and former Liverpool, Everton and Portugal defender Abel Xavier said the result was a harsh learning curve for his young, experimental team.
“What pleased me was the effort of each player. No Mozambican was hiding on the pitch. We will learn from our mistakes and improve as the tournament progresses.”
Dominant Zimbabwe had to wait 43 minutes before ending the deadlock when Karuru raced on to a defence-breaching pass, rounded goalkeeper Antonio Muquetua and scored from a tight angle.
After a Knox Mutizwa “goal” for Zimbabwe was wrongly judged offside, Karuru doubled the lead by rising at the near post to nod in a corner on 65 minutes.
Karuru should have completed a hat-trick when one-on-one with Muquetua, but was foiled by a parry from the goalkeeper.
The third Zimbabwe goal 12 minutes from time was the best of the match as defender Mushure came forward to glide a free-kick into the roof of the net.
Majarira completed the rout in the third minute of stoppage time by racing clear and driving a low shot wide of the Mozambican goalkeeper and into the corner.
Madagascar overcame Seychelles 2-0 in the second match of a double-header watched by spectators wearing thick jackets and beanies to combat the single-digit celsius temperature.
Like Zimbabwe, the Malagasy took a long time to translate their superiority into goals with the controversial first from Ardino Raveloarisona coming on 44 minutes.
A Seychellois seemed to have been fouled inside the Malagasy box, but the referee waved play on and a clearance freed Jeannot Vombola to cross for Raveloarisona to tap the ball in.
The second Madagascar goal on 76 minutes helped Rinjala Raherinaivo win the man-of-the-match award as he curled the ball into the far corner.
Goalkeeper Jerome Dingwall was outstanding for the Seychelles and saved the Indian Ocean minnows from a heavier defeat.
Group A resumes on Tuesday with matchday 1 losers Malawi and Mauritius meeting before a top-of-the-table clash between Angola and Tanzania. Both matches are in Rustenburg.
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