Warriors coach Michael Nees was proud of his charges despite losing to Cameroon 2-1 in their final 2025 Afcon Qualifiers Group J game in Yaounde on Tuesday.

The Zimbabwe national team had a subdued first half, conceding two goals before the half hour mark.

But a spirited second half performance saw the visitors dominating the pace and pulled one back through substitute Terrence Dzvukamanja.

The SuperSport United striker could have scored later on but was denied by the woodwork before his added-time effort was incorrectly ruled out for an offside.

Reflecting on his team’s overall performance, Nees said: “We played them (Cameroon) two times, one draw and the other one we lost by just one goal under very difficult circumstances and you saw the character of our team.

“Honestly, I am very really proud of them. They showed good character, not only the players, but everybody around the team, they pulled in one direction and we were a clear unit.”

The gaffer added: “I think the deficit was too much. One goal I think we could have turned it around, two goals is very difficult. I think it gives a team like Cameroon a lot of confidence. Even when you make a mistake, you are still one goal ahead.”