Zimbabwe coach says the Warriors were sleepy against Cameroon

Photo Credit: Zimbabwe Football Association

Zimbabwe coach Michael Nees has said the Warriors did not train before facing 2-1 winners Cameroon, hence felt ‘a bit sleepy’ during the dead-rubber 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier for Group J on Tuesday.

In a post-match interview, the German said he was not surprised by the loss at Stade Omnisport Ahmadou Ahidjo as his wards suffered from fatigue after having spent 35 hours in transit.

“How do we explain it? Very simple; Cameroon had a match on Wednesday, they returned on a charter flight, had five training sessions and good recovery in training. We had our match on Friday evening, we traveled for 35 hours and had no training sessions before the match; not even a recovery session,” Nees said.

Zimbabwe coach Michael Nees (left)

Photo Credit: Zimbabwe Football Association

The German said the Warriors struggled due to fatigue and humid conditions in the early stages of the game.

He said: “We were physically but also mentally not really in the game in the first half. We were a bit sleepy. Communication was not good. The sun was shining and there was the humidity—everything looked like a summer lackluster game. But in the second half, we showed a different character. The boys have a big character. They wanted to show that they can play football and challenge Cameroon,” the coach said.

Cameroon coach Marc Brys has since praised the Indomitable Lions for finishing the group convincingly on top. During the game, Vincent Aboubakar and Georges-Kévin N’Koudou netted for the hosts in the 18th and 23rd minutes before Terrence Dvzukamanja pulled one back for the Warriors with 17 minutes remaining on the clock.

Both teams went into the game with a place at the AFCON finals secured hence it was all about finishing on a high. The Indomitable Lions wound up the pool with 14 points whereas the Warriors got nine points.