Zimbabwe U20 men’s team coach Tonderai Ndirawa was happy with how his charges performed against South Africa on Thursday despite conceding late to settle for a draw.

The Young Warriors began their 2020 COSAFA U20 Championship campaign with a 2-2 draw. The team took the lead twice in the game with Panashe Mutimbanyoka and Lexington Mujokoro getting on target in either half.

“This was our first competitive match, with a team assembled, and which only trained for 10 days,’’ said Ndiraya, as cited by the Herald.

“So, I am happy about the way they went about their business.

“We couldn’t go pound-for-pound because of our fitness levels, so we sat back (to try and defend their lead).

“We conceded a soft goal, but I am glad for my boys, who were playing a strong team.”

Zimbabwe will face Mozambique on Sunday in their second Group A match before taking on Lesotho on December 8.

The group winners progress to the semi-finals while the best runners-up, from the three groups, will join them in the last four.