We Have A Gem In Tawanda Chirewa, Says Warriors Coach
Warriors coach Jairosi Tapera has praised Warriors’ new boy Tawanda Chirewa for his outstanding performances in the Group C CAF 2026 World Cup qualifier against South Africa at the Free State Stadium on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Wolverhampton Wanderers attacking midfielder got Zimbabwe’s consolation goal against Bafana Bafana in the 3-1 loss.
Chirewa also impressed South African fans who took to social media to express plaudits for the England-born Zimbabwean international.
For the goal, Chirewa took a quick throw-in to captain Marshall Munetsi before he was fed back, eliminated two defenders and surprised Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Rowen Williams by toe-poking the ball at his near post.
This was only his second game for Zimbabwe, having played 68 minutes in the match against Lesotho at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday.
Tapera said Chirewa followed the technical team’s instructions and proved that he was a star in the making. He said (via NewsDay):
Chirewa was excellent. We had instructed him to play in-between the defensive midfield and the defence of South Africa and he did so well.
(It’s) his second international game and he gets a goal. That was excellent. He is a clever young man and I think going forward, we have a gem in him.
We have a few young players coming in trying to gel with the senior players. I think it is just a matter of time.
We are going to come right. Individually, we had a lot of positives which I think we can build on going forward.
Speaking to NewsDay, Chirewa expressed disappointment with the two results but said he was happy to represent Zimbabwe. He said:
I think we will improve as a team. Obviously, we made a lot of individual errors and we did not take some of our chances, but we have good players and we will come right.
I cannot be too happy because we lost. But I am proud to play for Zimbabwe. I have played two games and scored a goal, so I am happy about that part.
Chirewa was born in Essex, England, to Zimbabwean parents. He made his debut at Ipswich Town on November 12, 2019, appearing as a second-half substitute in a 0–1 away loss to Colchester United in an EFL Trophy group stage match.
At the time, he was the second youngest player to make his first-team debut for the club, after Connor Wickham, at 16 years and 31 days old.
He then signed his first professional contract with the club in November 2020, signing a deal until 2022, with the option of an additional year’s extension.
In September 2023, Chirewa joined Wolves’ Under-21 side and quickly impressed first-team coach Gary O’neal.
O’neal gave the youngster his senior team breakthrough as a second-half substitute in the FA Cup away to Brentford in January this year.
In the same month, Chirewa made his English Premier League debut, as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 draw away to Brighton & Hove Albion.
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