02 Oct 2017

Major David Bright registered his first win as the Zebras coach against Ethiopia in an Independence Cup friendly played at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Two goals in each halve from the penalty spot by veteran striker, Jerome Ramatlhakwane guided the Zebras to a long awaited victory against Ethiopia.

Even though it was a game where bragging rights were more at stake, victory against the resilient Ethiopians could not have come at a better time for Major Bright. Pressure was building on the former army officer after having played three games without a win prior to Saturday’s fixture.

Major Bright had to win at all costs to restore some confidence on the players, and to avoid further embarrassment particularly on a day when the nation was in a cheerful mood due to the 50+1 celebrations.

Judging from the tried and tested starting eleven that he picked on the day despite the game being a friendly, it was evident that Bright was going all out for a kill to restore some lost pride.

He introduced only one debutant in the line-up, Keagile Kobe, who despite being thrown into the deep end, rose to the occasion and fitted into the set-up like a fish to water in his national team debut.

Speaking in a post-match interview, the Zebra’s gaffer expressed delight at the results, highlighting that he was optimistic that a win against Ethiopia would bring confidence to the national team players and supporters.

“There is a lot of potential in the team but it seems like more ground needs to be covered in terms of rebuilding their confidence and perfecting their finishing skills, as it was clear that they turned to have a rush of blood to the head whenever in the finishing third,” he said.

He said the fact that the team could not find the back of the net in open play should not discredit the team’s performance, adding that there were a lot of positives that be picked from the game.

He further emphasised that the game was used more as a preparatory game to weigh the team’s strengths and weaknesses as well as to try combinations ahead of the Zebra’s next game against Namibia.ENDS