Warriors Fall to Benin in World Cup Qualifier

Zimbabwe’s national football team, the Warriors, suffered a 1-0 defeat to Benin on Friday evening in a Group C FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Alassane Ouattara Ebimpé Olympic Stadium.

The Warriors produced a lacklustre performance, managing just a single effort on target—Tinotenda Kadewere’s 12th-minute attempt in the first half.

After a goalless opening period, the match looked destined for a draw until the 80th minute when Benin striker Steve Mounie broke the deadlock with a free header, capitalising on slack marking by defender Teenage Hadebe.

Coach Michael Nees attempted to turn the game around with a triple substitution in the 82nd minute, introducing Tymon Machope, Terrence Dzvukamanja, and Bill Antonio for Emmanuel Jalai, Tawanda Maswanhise, and Tawanda Chirewa. However, the changes failed to shift the momentum.

The result leaves Zimbabwe rooted to the bottom of the group with four points from seven games, dashing their slim hopes of progressing. In contrast, South Africa extended their lead at the top to 16 points after beating Lesotho 3-0.

The current Group C standings are:

South Africa – 16 points

Benin – 11 points

Rwanda – 8 points

Nigeria – 7 points

Lesotho – 6 points

Zimbabwe – 4 points

Zimbabwe remains the only team in the group without a victory and will next face Rwanda on Tuesday at Orlando Stadium, South Africa.

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