Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
THEY lined up on the left side of the field in silence, consumed by the intensity of the grand occasion, humbled by the glitzy profile of their opponents and inspired by the greatness of the mission.
The King himself, Peter Ndlovu, fittingly wore the captain’s armband, while each of those 11 Warriors stood on hallowed ground as the first generation of footballers from their country to get this far.
Today marks exactly 15 years since that landmark day.
Between them and the referees, who formed a human barrier to the two opposing teams, stood a red army of proud Pharaohs, 11 of them, representing a giant African football nation.
Somehow, fate had again scripted another cruel tale — the newcomers to Africa’s biggest football festival had to confront the continent’s most successful, and dominant team, as part of a hostile baptism ceremony.
The southern Tunisian city of Sfax provided the setting, 22 000 fans crammed into its Borg Menzar Stadium were the front-row witnesses, an evening breeze from the Mediterranean Sea providing a welcome relief on a day of intense humidity.
The stark difference in pedigree wouldn’t have been any bigger.
The Pharaohs were about to embark on their 19th AFCON finals adventure and the Warriors were about to plunge into their very first battle at this level of the game.
The date was January 25, 2004, exactly 15 years ago to this day, and thousands of kilometres across virtually the entire length of this vast continent, a football-mad nation came to a standstill as, at long last, it began its adventure with the AFCON finals.
A culmination of decades of heartbreak, when it had come so near, yet so far, from getting there, leaving others to wonder whether their team carried a curse that always ensured it would collapse when success appeared certain.
Along the way Kalusha Bwalya had come to Harare with a makeshift Zambian team assembled under the shadow of the tragedy of that plane crash and, with a late header, destroyed the Warriors’ dreams of an appearance at the ‘94 AFCON finals.
Goalkeeper John Sibanda had frozen on the big stage, betrayed by a fatal combination of emotions and a bundle of nerves, and conceded a comical late goal against Congo-Brazzaville to crush their dreams of an appearance at the ‘92 AFCON finals.
Ghanaian coach Ben Kouffie had even chosen to suggest, or curse them, that even if the Warriors hired a coach from the moon, they would never make it to such grand occasions like the AFCON finals.
A generation of some of their finest footballers, from Japhet Mparutsa to Stanley Ndunduma, from Joel Shambo to Madinda Ndlovu, from Willard Mashinkila-Khumalo to David Mwanza and from Moses Chunga to Shacky Tauro had somehow tried and failed to take their Warriors to the Promised Land.
And a number of fine coaches, from John Rugg to Mick Poole, from Armando Ferreira to Kouffie himself and from Clemence Westerhof to Reinhard Fabisch had also somehow tried, and failed, to find the breakthrough.
The Dream Team even came and went, their impressive lengthy unbeaten record eventually counting for nothing, with Kalusha’s late goal proving the difference between success and failure.
Ironically, Tunisia ‘94 was the AFCON dream which Kalusha destroyed and, as if the football gods owed us an apology for all the pain they inflicted on us that day, the North African country provided the ground for these Warriors to mark their coming of age that day 15 years ago.
And, finally, here they were, standing in the same company with these Pharaohs at this level of the game — a confirmation of their graduation from boys to men and also a reminder of the huge assignment that now awaited them.
The XI Warriors who took their places, in an historic service for their nation, that day were goalkeeper Energy Murambadoro, Dumisani Mpofu, Dazzy Kapenya, Kaitano Tembo, Charles Yohane, George Mbwando, Esrom Nyandoro, Lazarus Muhoni, Tinashe Nengomasha, Agent Sawu and Peter Ndlovu.
Wilfred Mugeyi, who would miss a golden chance to equalise in the match, came in for Sawu in the 55th minute while Joel Luphahla was introduced in the 67th minute for Muhoni.
Tapiwa Kapini, Ephraim Mazarura, Harlington Shereni, Dickson Choto, Bekithemba Ndlovu, Alois Bunjira, Leo Kurauzvione, Ronald Sibanda and Adam Ndlovu were the unused substitutes that day.
After a goalless first half, in which Murambadoro was outstanding for the Warriors, repelling a number of attacks in which Mido was playing a prominent role, it was the AFCON finals debutantes who shocked the continent by taking the lead seconds into the second half.
Skipper Peter Ndlovu got to the end of a cross into and his header beat Egyptian ‘keeper Nader El Sayed to send hundreds of Zimbabwean fans, including scores who had travelled from England, into raptures as they sensed a dream start to their campaign.
But the Pharaohs equalised through a fortuitous goal from Tamer Abdelhamid, which took a cruel deflection, to beat Murambadoro before substitute Mohamed Barakat scored a controversial winner with the referee first ruling the ball hadn’t crossed the line before being overruled by his assistant.
Mugeyi had a golden chance, late in the game, to grab a point for the Warriors after finding himself alone in the box but, rather than go for precision, he trusted his instincts to go for power, and his effort flew over the bar and into the Sfax skyline.
‘’This is our first time at the Nations Cup and we are here to learn as much as we can,’’ coach Sunday Chidzambwa.
Four days later, the Warriors would return into battle, against the then defending champions, Cameroon, and Chidzambwa and his men slumped to a 3-5 defeat at the hands of the Indomitable Lions.
Their only comfort coming from the fact that they became the first team, in 13 matches at the AFCON finals stretching from the 2000 edition of the tournament, to score more than two goals against these Indomitable Lions who had won back-to-back titles in Nigeria (2000) and Mali (2002).
Peter Ndlovu scored twice in that match.
However, there would a silver lining in their final match of the group when they beat Algeria 2-1 to ensure they would not leave their maiden appearance at the AFCON finals empty-handed.
Source : The Herald
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