Warriors coach Michael Nees has admitted he was disappointed after Zimbabwe went down 1-0 to Lesotho in their final 2026 World Cup qualifier at Peter Mokaba Stadium in South Africa on Monday.
Nees said the team is struggling up front and plans to address the issue in the next international break in November.
The defeat left the Warriors at the bottom of Group C with just five points from five draws and five losses, while Lesotho recorded their third win of the campaign.
Zimbabwe scored only five goals in ten matches and conceded 12, giving them the worst goal difference in the group.
Looking ahead, Nees said he wants to improve the team’s attacking options by trying out new forwards before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
“Disappointed. Not the result we wanted. Everything came as anticipated, the long balls, the counterattacks from Lesotho, where they are really strong.
“But at the end, we lose 1-0 in the final minute. That’s very bitter and very difficult. We need to find a way to bring the ball in the net.
“We don’t score enough when we have chances. We don’t shoot accurately or pass when a teammate is free. We lack the final decision making, the final concentration.
“Similar situation like against Rwanda. Almost a deja vu. If you don’t score, you get punished, and today we got punished in the final minute.”
The German urged other strikers in the squad to step up to avoid over-reliance on veteran forward Knowledge Musona.
“We have no option but to continue working. We tried different players, different combinations up front, but the finishing problem runs through all levels of our football. We cannot rely on Knowledge [Musona]; he was suspended…
“Maybe during the next international break we’ll try a few different players up front.
“We need to find a way to get the ball into the back of the net — it’s about creating and finishing our chances more effectively.”
