Maroto scores Chan fastest goal

Sport
BY FANUEL VIRIRI ZIMBABWE international striker Norman Maroto scored the fastest goal in the group stages of the African Nations Championships (Chan) and the Warriors were also the most disciplined team, according to statistics released by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Study Group.

Maroto’s achievement is a consolation for Zimbabwe who had a bad outing at Chan, bowing out in the group stages.

The Caf Study said Maroto scored the fastest goal, when he headed a Denver Mukamba cross in the second minute during a Group B clash against South Africa. The Warriors lost the match 2-1.

Maroto who is being chased by FC Platinum scooped the premiership’s Golden Boot award when he notched 22 league goals last season.

The 26-year old gunslinger’s fastest goal for Zimbabwe in the group stages is ironic in that another former Gunners player Ovidy Karuru was named in the All-Star Team at the maiden African Nations Championship finals in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire last year.

Karuru, an attacking midfielder plucked from Masvingo United by Gunners was named one of the best 17 players at the Nations Championship finals.Although Karuru did not make the first XI in the poll for the team of the tournament, he was good enough to get a place on the substitutes’ bench. This quite an achievement given 184 players, drawn from eight countries, took part in the finals.

Karuru was one of the six substitutes, in the All-Star Team, named by Caf.

Ironically Karuru was outstanding in the match against Ghana and capped a man-of-the-match performance with the opening goal – heading home after just four minutes. The Black Stars drew 2-all with Zimbabwe. Karuru is now plying his trade in France.

A year later another Gunners player scores with a header but two minutes early to record the fastest goal of the tournament.

Eight goals were scored between the 87th to the 90th minute in the group stages of Chan while three goals were scored during extra time of the second segment of the matches.

Except South Africa (in their encounter against Ghana that ended 2-1 in their favour), the winner of all the games of the competition was either even or was leading its opponent before half time said Caf.

However, the Zimbabwe players were at the bottom of the top goalscorers charts of the group stages with South Africa’s Myron Shongwe leading with three goals. Zimbabwe had two goals from Maroto and Archford Gutu.

CAF said Zimbabwe were also the most disciplined team having received three yellow cards. At the end of the third playing day in the four groups, A, B, C and D, Ghana and Tunisia emerged as the most indisciplined team with nine yellow cards.

Seven red cards were dished out during the group stage of the Chan, three directly to a Ugandan player in the encounter against Algeria, one to a Gabonese in their match against Uganda; and one to South African player in their game against Zimbabwe. A Senegalese player also saw red for two consecutive bookings in their game against Tunisia.

Caf said Zimbabwe also had the third best defence in the group stages conceding three goals. The Warriors men in defence were goalkeeper Washington Arubi, Guthrie Zhokinyi, Brian Mapfumo and Nyasha Mukumbi.

Cameroon and Sudan have the best defence in the group stages with opponents failing to breach it. Rwanda had the worst defence conceding seven goals.

The most attacking teams were group D with 13 goals scored. The teams in Group D were Tunisia, Angola, Senegal and Rwanda. The three other groups (A, B, C) all scored 11 goals during the first round of the competition.  Zimbabwe were in Group B together with Niger, South Africa and Ghana.