We have to keep this team active - ‘shakes’

SOCCER – SIHLANGU coach Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba has praised his players for their disciplined performance after notching up an impressive 3-0 win over Comoros in the COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup match played yesterday at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo.
Interviewed after the game, the South African-born mentor noted that his players played according to instructions and admitted that they deserved to emerge victors.
“Contrary to what many people may think, Comoros are not minnows, they are a quality side that proved their mettle in this tournament. It’s just that we were better than them today in terms of game plan and tactics.
“I want to warn that there are no easy opponents in such competitions and I’m happy that we learned that,” he said. He lamented the fact that despite winning two games and losing only one, they could not advance into the quarter-finals of the tournament.
“I believe our loss to Botswana proved to be our main downfall because had we drawn or won that game, it would be a different story now. It’s no use crying over spilt milk now, we just need to take heart from the fact that we played two good games and won. We have to keep this team active for future tournaments,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Comoros mentor Abderemane Chamite was gracious in defeat and pointed out that they were not prepared for the match hence the big score.
“My players have learned a lot from this tournament and I believe that we would continue to improve in future tournaments. I did my best to motivate my players but, unfortunately, we still went on to concede goals in this game, which led to the defeat,” he said.

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