“Elisha Pfupa’s Hat-Trick Fires Young Warriors Into AFCON U23 Second Round”
By Milton Marima
Zimbabwe’s Young Warriors have progressed to the second round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations U23 qualifiers after completing a dominant 6-1 aggregate victory over Mauritius.
The Young Warriors produced an emphatic 4-1 win in the second leg at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex in Mauritius on Tuesday, having won the first leg 2-0 at the National Sports Stadium last week.
Elisha Pfupa was the star of the show, scoring a first-half hat-trick. The Portsmouth FC U18 forward opened the scoring in the 14th minute before doubling Zimbabwe’s advantage just five minutes later.
Mauritius pulled one back before the half-hour mark, but Pfupa completed his hat-trick in the 40th minute to restore Zimbabwe’s two-goal cushion.
Brentford U21 forward David Chigwada then added Zimbabwe’s fourth goal before half-time, putting the Young Warriors firmly in control of the tie.
There were no further goals after the break as Zimbabwe comfortably managed the game to secure a 4-1 victory and 6-1 aggregate triumph.
The result continues an impressive start for Spanish coach Marc Sánchez, whose side had already dominated the first leg despite winning by only two goals.
The qualifiers are particularly significant as the 2027 U23 AFCON serves as the pathway to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Zimbabwe now face a much tougher challenge in the second round against Mali, who received a bye into this stage. The Young Warriors will need to overcome the West Africans to move closer to qualification for the tournament in Egypt.
CAF’s qualifying format ultimately determines the teams that will join hosts Egypt at the 2027 finals.
