Kudzayi Tigere
20 November 2008
NOSTALGIC feelings will be the order of the day when a Mutare side play in final of the country's major football knockout competition for the first time in 10 years.
Back then, it was the now-defunct Tanganda who got the better of Caps United in the Castle Cup final just over a decade ago. Now, Eastern Lions are hoping to emulate that feat when they take on rejuvenated Caps United in the CBZ FA Cup final on Sunday at Rufaro Stadium.
It's not an easy task for the Lions. They face a Caps side that is eager to live up to its "Cup Kings" reputation.
Despite an indifferent run in the league this season, Caps tore the form book to win the inaugural ABC Sup8r Cup, beating Lengthens in the final.
A win for the Harare giants on Sunday will mark their return to competitive continental football as they will earn the ticket to represent the country in the Confederation Cup, Africa's second-tier club competition.
Eastern Lions are in the final after defeating Norman Mapeza's Monomotapa 2-0 in a replayed semi-final last weekend.
For the easterners, winning the FA Cup might go a long way to endear themselves with Mutare football fans, who prefer newly-promoted Highway as the city's flagship club.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Under-17 side play Angola in the second-leg second-round qualifying match of the African Youth Championships at Gwanzura Stadium tomorrow.
Rodwell Dhlakama's teenagers defeated the Angolan side 3-2 a fortnight ago in Luanda.
Said the coach: "We had a tough encounter in Angola but we managed to beat them and so we expect victory on Saturday. My boys are ready to battle and we hope that our goal-scorer Charlton Mashumba, who sustained an injury during training, will have recovered in time for the game."
A win for the highly-rated Young Warriors will see them participate in the African Youth Championships to be held in Algeria next year.
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