Brazil's Samba Boys will play Zimbabwe's Warriors at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on Wednesday 2 June 2010 as part of their preparations for the FIFA World Cup, which begins on June 11. This is at the invitation of the host country. In spite of local allegiances, soccer fans in Zimbabwe heartily welcomed Brazil's World Cup team. The Brazilian coach, Dunga, intends to use this friendly as well as a later match against Tanzania to bring together his team.
Zimbabwe vs. Brazil - David and Goliath?
The odds are rather heavily stacked against Zimbabwe in this match seeing as the country failed to qualifying for this year's African cup of Nations and Brazil are five-time world champions. However, a faint glimmer of hope is pinned on the unpredictability of soccer as a game.
Caretaker coach Norman Mapeza gave a pre-match address on Saturday night. He will not put pressure on his team by "ordering them to go out there and beat Brazil". The only thing he is asking of his players is total commitment. He says that as Brazil is one of the best football nations in the world, playing against them is something that will surely motivate the players to give their all.
Mapeza has called in the best possible players available. Skipper Benjani Mwaruwari, who has gone back to being a Manchester City player a spell on loan to Sunderland, leads a 34-strong team that went into camp on Monday.
Method Mwanjali faces the prospect of man-marking Kaka and Robinho, while Knowledge Musona and Nyasha Mushekwi will no doubt try to put one or two past Cesar, Brazilian and Inter Milan goalie who is widely considered the best in the world.
The warriors technical team has also called in some foreign-based players who have ofetn been overlooked despite impressing their leagues. Cyprus-based Vusa Nyoni and Obadiah Tarumbawa will have a chance to prove their worth in national team colours, as will Ukrainian-based striker Musa Mguni, who scored for his side in the Europa League this year.
From the Zimbabwean league, Mapeza has included the bulk of the squad that dispatched Seychelles 4-2 in an African Nations Championships qualifier a few weeks ago.
2012 Africa Cup of Nations
Mapeza and his assistants Joey Antipas and Brenna Msisika may also use the Brazil match to audition a team they intend to use when the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations begins later this year. Ther is no reason for the national team to slide back into obvilion after such a high-level engagement.
Melody Mundawarara - Melody Mundawarara has always enjoyed creative pursuits. Her interests range from Art to Zoology. She is a keen researcher who is excited ...
