Mighty Warriors coach Sithethelelwe Sibanda says the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Tanzania in the Wednesday’s COSAFA Women Championship group B opener was a disappointing one but believes her charges put a better performance in the match despite poor preparations.

The Zimbabwe squad only started camp a week before travelling to South Africa for the tournament, and the players had not played football for over nine months due to the lockdown.

The selection consists of only six senior members with the rest of the players coming from the U20 national team.

Speaking after the game, Sibanda said: “We knew we were playing Tanzania who were better prepared than us, and we expected a tough match as far as fitness levels were concerned.

“And after the red card, we lost shape, and we couldn’t contain them (Tanzania). Some of the players become tired along the way, and I would say I’m disappointed to lose the game 1-0, but they (Zimbabwe) gave a good account of themselves.”-Soccer 24