COSAFA Women’s Championship: Mozambique coach rues missed dream

COSAFA Women’s Championship: Mozambique coach rues missed dream

Mozambique (red) v Madagascar: COSAFA media

COSAFA Women’s Championship: Mozambique coach rues missed dream

Mozambique senior women’s team coach Luis Victor Fumo has commented on the Os Mambas’ failure to secure a semi-final seat at the ongoing COSAFA Women’s Championship in Polokwane, South Africa.

The girls from the former Portuguese colony beat Madagascar 2-0 at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in a decisive Group C match when what was needed was a three-goal margin victory.

In a post-match press conference, Fumo said his girls gave it their all, but poor finishing cost them progression to the semi-final stage.

“It was a great game from us although the result wasn’t satisfactory to us,” the coach said.

“We had in our minds to give it our all because we had nothing to lose. That is the message we tried to pass to the girls and of course, they did their best. We should have won by a three or four-goal difference.

“We created three chances in the first-half but we couldn’t convert them and two more [chances] in the second-half. There was a killer save from Madagascar keeper [ Verasantatra Andrianandrasana] which almost closed our chances of winning this game by more than two goals. Overall, our performance was good although the result was not good enough.”

Group C log table sums up what went

The Os Mambas finished the proceedings in the three-member group on three points, at par with Barea Women and Namibia’s Brave Gladiators.

Namibia advanced to the last-four stage courtesy of a superior goal aggregate of +1, joining holders Zambia’s Copper Queens, hosts Banyana Banyana and Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors.

Banyana Banyana will now face the Mighty Warriors while the Brave Gladiators date the Copper Queens in the semifinal games scheduled for Friday at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.

COSAFA Women’s Championship Mozambique Exit: Coach Fumo Rues Missed Semi-Final Dream

Mozambique senior women’s national team coach Luis Victor Fumo has reflected on his side’s painful elimination from the COSAFA Women’s Championship after narrowly missing out on a semi-final place in Polokwane, South Africa.

The Os Mambas secured a 2-0 victory over Madagascar in their decisive Group C clash at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium. However, the result was not enough to send them through to the last four, as they required a three-goal winning margin to progress.

COSAFA Women’s Championship Mozambique Exit Confirmed After Goal Difference Drama

Heading into the final group match, Mozambique knew the equation was simple but difficult — win by at least three goals.

Despite dominating large periods of the encounter, they managed only two goals through Banze in the 31st minute and Manuel in the 68th minute. The narrow scoreline ultimately proved costly.

In the post-match press conference, Fumo admitted that missed opportunities defined their campaign.

“It was a great game from us although the result wasn’t satisfactory to us,” he said.

“We had in our minds to give it our all because we had nothing to lose. That is the message we tried to pass to the girls and of course, they did their best. We should have won by a three or four-goal difference.”

Missed Chances Prove Costly

Mozambique created several clear-cut opportunities but struggled with finishing.

“We created three chances in the first-half but we couldn’t convert them and two more in the second-half,” Fumo explained.

He also praised Madagascar goalkeeper Verasantatra Andrianandrasana for a decisive save that denied what could have been a crucial third goal.

“There was a killer save from the Madagascar keeper which almost closed our chances of winning this game by more than two goals,” he added.

While the performance showed attacking intent and determination, efficiency in front of goal ultimately separated qualification from elimination.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recent Post

No recommended posts at this time.