Zimbabwe’s Warriors thumped Seychelles 6-nil in the COSAFA Castle Cup match played in South Africa to set quarterfinal date with Swaziland.
Captain Ovidy Karuru scored a hat-trick and substitute, Ocean Mushure a brace to ensure Zimbabwe’s passage to the quarter-finals ahead of Madagascar, who settled for second place in Group A on goal difference after beating Mozambique 4-1.
Needing a convincing win, Karuru grabbed two goals in quick succession to give a the Warriors a 2-nil half-time lead.
Youngster Prince Dube grabbed the third for the Warriors just after the break before Karuru completed his hat-trick.
Substitute, Mushure converted a free-kick from the edge of the box before directing a late cross into the net to complete the route.
Zimbabwe and Madagascar all fished on 7 points, but the Warriors had a superior goal difference after scoring ten times and not conceding.
Had Madagascar qualified ahead of the Warriors, Zimbabwe would have felt hard done by the Botswana referee who denied them two clear penalties when the two teams met on Wednesday.
