Maswanhise Grabs Opportunity With Both Hands
Tawanda Maswanhise seized the opportunity of his first start for Zimbabwe Warriors against Kenya on Friday to stake a claim for a regular starting berth after leading the nation to their sixth Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Just eight months after making his debut for Zimbabwe Warriors in a four-nation tournament against the same opponents- Kenya, 21-year-old Maswanhise has announced himself in the first eleven with a huge performance that could guarantee his starting place in the Warriors squad for more games to come.
Having been on fire for his club Motherwell in the Scottish premiership where he has scored three goals and an assist in the last two league games the quick feet forward was handed his first start for Zimbabwe Warriors by Michael Nees after five appearances.
The former Leicester City academy player did not disappoint as he grabbed the opportunity with both hands after an impressive performance that resulted in a goal that booked the Warriors their ticket to Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
With his high pressing intensity, Maswanhise made two shots on target, won a free kick in the final third, and scored a clever goal in the 32nd minute assisted by Khama Billiat before Kenya got the equalizer early in the second half to level the scores, but his impact went way beyond his statistics.
Zimbabwe needed a win or draw to join Cameroon as the two qualified teams from group J after posting nine points from five games and Maswanhise’s goal was enough to secure their qualification.
They join other 18- teams who have so far booked their qualification tickets including Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Comoros, Cote D Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia. The other five remaining spots will be decided from today until Tuesday.
Zimbabwe’s final match against Cameroon on Tuesday will now act as part of warm-up encounters ahead of the finals in the north African country from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.
