Zimbabwe’s hopes of reaching the 2027 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations suffered a major setback on Wednesday.
The Young Warriors suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat against Mali at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.
The result leaves Zimbabwe with a mountain to climb ahead of next week’s return fixture.
Mali immediately seized control and punished the hosts with an early breakthrough in the eighth minute.
The visitors continued applying pressure and doubled their advantage before the half-hour mark.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe struggled to match Mali’s intensity and failed to produce a meaningful response.
Assistant coach Wilson Mutekede took charge of the Young Warriors in the absence of head coach Marc Sánchez.
However, his team struggled to contain the visitors throughout the afternoon.
Mali put Zimbabwe under pressure
The West Africans maintained their attacking momentum after the interval.
Their dominance eventually produced another goal just 10 minutes into the second half.
That third strike left Zimbabwe facing a difficult situation heading into the second leg.
Despite playing on home soil, the Young Warriors failed to find the net.
Consequently, they must produce a significantly improved performance to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Young Warriors face crucial trip to Bamako
Zimbabwe will travel to Mali for the decisive second leg next Tuesday.
The Young Warriors must overturn their three-goal deficit to remain in contention.
However, playing away from home against a confident Mali side presents another major challenge.
The winner of the two-legged encounter will advance to the third qualifying round.
Seven aggregate winners will eventually join tournament hosts Egypt at the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
For Zimbabwe, the mission is now clear: deliver a remarkable comeback in Bamako.
The post Zimbabwe Young Warriors suffer major setback after 3-0 defeat to Mali in AFCON qualifier appeared first on iHarare News.
