ABIJAN – Zimbabwe were left heartbroken at the Alassane Ouattara Ebimpé Olympic Stadium in Ivory Coast on Friday as the Warriors lost 0-1 to Benin in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group C qualifier match.
Steve Mounie scored for Benin in the 77th minute to bring all attention on Warriors coach Michael Nees whose success rate is worryingly low.
Zimbabwe were clueless from the word go with an unfamiliar system deployed which included Tino Kadewere as number 10, Knowledge Musona as a deep lying midfielder and Jordan Zemura as a winger.
Warriors captain Marvellous Nakamba was just off form and Benin dominated the midfield throughout.
In truth Nees didn’t have a plan for the game and it was all on display.
He has only two wins since taking over the reins – all against Namibia.
Lucky enough it helped the Warriors qualify for the upcoming AFCON in Morocco and most importantly hide the truth that Nees mighty be a plumber after all.
The German seems more of a populist than a coach with a tactical plan or philosophy.
He prefers to play popular players or select players from influential clubs like Scottland FC instead of merit and against Benin it was on full display.
Zimbabwe is still stuck at the bottom of Group C with 4 points after 7 games – South Africa tops the group with 16 points.
