Marian Marinica endured a tough start to his tenure as Zimbabwe national team coach after his side suffered a 3–1 defeat to Algeria in an international friendly.
The match was played at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday evening.
The Warriors conceded all three goals in the first half as Algeria dominated proceedings from start to finish.
The Fennecs controlled possession from the opening minutes but initially struggled to create clear chances on target. However, after a sustained period of pressure, Baghdad Bounedjah broke the deadlock with a quick counter-attack that caught the Zimbabwean defence off guard.
Algeria doubled their lead in the 41st minute following a brilliant interchange of passes, with Mohamed Amoura beating two markers before calmly slotting home inside the box.
Four minutes later, Jaouen Hadjam capitalised on another defensive lapse to make it 3–0 before half-time.
At the start of the second half, Marinica made several changes, introducing Tawanda Chirewa, Prosper Padera, Godknows Murwira, and Prince Dube in an attempt to turn the game around.
The changes had limited impact, though Chirewa managed to pull one back from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after being fouled inside the box. His late goal proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
The match ended 3–1 in favour of Algeria, who extended their unbeaten run against Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, the Warriors will travel to Doha, Qatar, for their second friendly match, set for Monday.
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