21 Apr 2016

The national Under 20 football team will this evening play a crucial game against Zimbabwe that will determine their destiny in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the Lobatse Sports Complex at 7pm. A win will secure a place for the boys in the second round of the qualifiers where they will face Cameroon in June.

The Under 20 Africa Cup of Nations Football tournament is set to be played in Zambia in February next year.In an interview, the team coach Philimon Makhwengwe said his boys were more than ready to lock horns with their rival and emerge victorious.

Makhwengwe said the two weeks that the boys spent in camp immediately after the first leg of the tournament had been fruitful as it had prepared the boys in all aspects and addressed all training programme components.

He said his boys were ready physically, mentally, technically and tactically to take Zimbabwe head on and looking forward to silence them.“We are determined to fight to the bitter end and not to be over excited by the lead but rather intend to come out in the lead at large and be the first Under 20 team to qualify for AFCON,” he said.

The boys played Zimbabwe last month and beat them 1 – 0 at their home ground when defender Goitseone Legopelo scored the only goal of the game on the 68th minute and gave the boys a lead in the tournament.

With a three point lead and topping the group, the boys have to either score more goals than their counterparts, or have a draw for them to qualify for the next round.Makhwengwe said he was impressed by the boys' determination, fighting spirit and hunger to go all the way to the final of the tournament. 

Though a lot of team members play in lower divisions and senior secondary school team from across the country, he also revealed that he had a draw from the premiership league in the likes of Mothusi Cooper from Extension Gunners, Legopelo and Gape Mohutsiwa from Motlakase and Tumisang Selolwane from Gaborone United as well as Picasso Fortune registered with Mochudi Centre Chiefs a thing he said gave them advantage in terms of exposure.

He said their involvement with the premiership had also given them exposure adding that their preparations which included playing against teams in the big league was an advantage.The boys beat a selection of Cameronians staying in Botswana 6 – 0, Gunners 3 – 0 drew with Mochudi Centre Chiefs 2 -2 and were only beaten 4 – 1 by Township Rollers as part of the preparations for the games, a thing Makhwnegwe said also gave the boys exposure to face any kind of rival and knowing that it was possible to face any kind of rival and win.

Talking of his game plan, Makhwengwe said he intended to play attacking football as he had told the boys to especially attack directly and from the flanks with intention to score more goals.“We are ready for Zimbabwe’s counter and whatever tactics they bring into the game, we definitely have to win this game and cannot sit back in our own backyard,” he stressed.

Makhwengwe expressed gratitude to the Botswana Football Association management which had been supportive especially to the boys’ welfare.As most of the boys are senior secondary school students and their schools still open, he revealed that BFA had made arrangement for some teachers to visit the camp to give lessons to these students for them not to be left behind in their studies.

Team Captain, Gape Mohutsiwa said the boys were confident of a win adding that the mood in the camp was very high and so looking forward to playing a good game against Zimbabwe.19 year old Mohutsiwa from Palapye said he was happy that after playing the first leg, the boys did not have a break, but went into camp immediately, a thing he said helped the team to pick momentum and move in an upward direction.

“We might have won Zimbabwe in their home ground, but they have proven to be a tough side and we therefore should not be too excited but rather be ready to counter them and get away with a win and a lead of the log”, he said, oozing confidence that showed that indeed the boys were ready to conquer. He said the time that they spent in camp had helped them to bond and trust each other  as a team. BOPA