Zim coach makes honest admission about Billiat and Musona
Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees has made an honest admission about the former Kaizer Chiefs duo of Khama Billiat and Knowledge Musona.
Billiat and Musona were recently reunited in the Zimbabwe national team after the latter came out of international football retirement.
Musona and Billiat are both highly rated products of the Harare-based Aces Youth Soccer Academy. Furthermore, the duo emerged as a major driving force in what is, statistically, Zimbabwe’s most successful era. The duo helped The Warriors qualify for the AFCON editions in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
And they were both in action on Thursday as The Warriors sought to rescue their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes in a Group C tie against Benin at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw, with Saudi Arabia-based Musona equalising for Zimbabwe as the hour mark approached. Zim’s first goal was scored by Marshall Munetsi. Additionally, Steve Mounie and Dodo Dokou scored for Benin in the first 35 minutes of the game.
Nevertheless, this result means Zimbabwe’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup got slimmer. Both Musona and Billiat were withdrawn after the hour mark as The Warriors kept prodding for a winning goal. But it was not to be.
WHAT NEES SAID ABOUT THE FORMER KAIZER CHIEFS DUO
How they will fare in the next matches remains to be seen. But, coach Nees admitted during the post-match press conference that they can no longer bank on the former Kaizer Chiefs duo to last 90 minutes.
“Musona scored, but he showed signs of fatigue; that’s why we took him off. And the same goes for Khama,” said Nees. “They are not 25 anymore. We don’t have to ignore all those realities. They have grown over time, that is why we need fresh legs.
“The game [against Benin] was very intense and fast, in my own opinion. It was an AFCON-level match. Very tough and fast.”
In addition, Billiat and Musona are expected to lead The Warriors in an attack on Sunday when they face Nigeria. Furthermore, they remain at the bottom of Group C, with three points to show off from a possible 15 points.
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