Warriors coach Michael Nees is looking beyond the present, and his team's hard-fought 0-0 draw with South Africa has given him hope for a successful Afcon 2025 campaign in Morocco.
Nees' side put up a resilient performance to halt a visibly dominant Bafana Bafana, with some glimpses of brilliance at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Goalkeeper Washington Arubi and his defensive quartet of Teenage Hadebe, Gerald Takwara, Munashe Garan'anga and Divine Lunga were so good to keep Bafana at bay.
Visibly excited, the German mentor said his real focus is helping the Warriors go beyond the group phase. Zimbabwe are in Group B along with Bafana Bafana, Angola and Egypt.
Undoubtedly, a tough group for Zimbabwe to navigate, but Nees is walking with springs on his steps, confident that his men will come out tops.
"We don't want to go to Morocco and be tourists there," Nees said, emphasising his team's ambition to make a mark in the upcoming tournament.
"We want to be there on New Year's eve, because the second round starts in the new year. That's our ambition, our target, we're working towards that."
Nees took the match against Bafana Bafana as a gauge for his team's progress, and he seems pleased with the outcome.
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"It's not always a smooth ride, there are little ups and downs but when you look at the long run, there is hope. I don't think many teams today could have come to South Africa in a full house like this and get a draw,” he said.
"And we were there from the performance, from the attitude and also from the skills.”
The Warriors' defensive solidity was a key takeaway from the match, with assistant coach Kaitano Tembo's impact evident.
Tembo's tactical nous and organisational skills have clearly rubbed off on the team, as they managed to contain several of South Africa's threats.
"Defensively, we have made significant strides, and that's down to the hard work and commitment of the players and the coaching staff," the Warriors gaffer added.
Simply put, as the team looks forward to Afcon 2025, Nees' words convey a sense of determination and ambition.
