WCQ: Zimbabwe coach remains positive despite barred draw

Zimbabwe coach Baltemar Brito was looking on the positive side despite a disappointing away draw for his side as they made their World Cup comeback against Rwanda on Wednesday.

Zimbabwe were playing a first international since a two-year FIFA ban and laboured in their opening Group C qualifiers at Butare, playing out a goalless draw with their Rwandese hosts.

The group also includes South Africa and Nigeria with Zimbabwe seen as a potential spoiler, but their 0-0 draw against a team 140th in the world rankings is a setback to Zimbabwe’s hopes of contesting with the top two seeds.

But Brito, a former assistant to Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, sounded happy with his side’s showing.

“My assessment is that the game was very good. We came here and some players had no training session, they arrived last night so we didn’t have too much time to prepare for the game,” he told reporters afterwards.

“But even then, we did well and managed to collect one point away and we have a clean sheet, so this is a positive that we take forward. This is a new direction for Zimbabwe and it’s good to collect a point in the first game,” Brito said.

Zimbabwe’s Warriors now stay on in Rwanda where they meet Nigeria in Butare on Sunday.

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The match should be in Harare or Bulawayo but because Zimbabwe have no facilities that are up to international standard, they are forced to ‘host’ this match on the artificial turf in the small town south of Rwanda’s capital Kigali.

It was also the first game in charge for Brito, picked as an interim coach for the next year and doubling up with his work at Highlanders of Bulawayo.

He picked only two South African-based players in his squad with SuperSport United striker Terrence Dzvukamanja coming on as an early injury replacement on Wednesday and 38-year-old Washington Arubi the back-up goalkeeper.