Elisha Pfupa scored a first-half hattrick as Zimbabwe’s U23 side thrashed Mauritius 4-1 away from home to advance 6-1 on aggregate in the U23 AFCON qualifiers.
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Read E-PaperThe Young Warriors, who carried a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, started brightly and took the lead in the 14th minute through Pfupa.
The forward doubled his tally four minutes later to make it 2-0 on the day and 4-0 on aggregate.
Mauritius pulled one back in the 24th minute to give the home fans some hope, but Pfupa completed his hattrick five minutes before halftime to restore Zimbabwe’s three-goal cushion.
David Chigwada made it 4-1 a minute before the break, effectively killing the tie.
The second half was a more subdued affair, with no further goals as Zimbabwe managed the game to see out the win.
The result means Zimbabwe will now face Mali in the next round of the qualifiers for a place at the U23 Africa Cup of Nations.
Full-time: Mauritius 1-4 Zimbabwe (1-6 aggregate).
