Zimra Team Makes History in SARAIG Games: An Unforgettable International Edition

The ZIMRA football squad made history by successfully retaining their championship title at the Southern Africa Inter Revenue Games (SARAIG), which took place at the University of Zimbabwe recently.

This win mirrored their achievement from the prior year's competition held in Lesotho.

In a nail-biting finale, Zimra narrowly defeated Malawi 4-2 on penalties following a tied game of 1-1 during regular play. The home team was ahead at halftime but Malawi managed to level the score late in the second half, leading to a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

After securing their place in the semifinals via a penalty shoot-out against Zambia, Malawi entered confidently into the decisive moment. Nonetheless, Zimra stayed cool and collected throughout, with team leader Talent Tabvura commending his squad’s unshakable composure.

"it was a grueling finale," tabvura said to standard sport.

We went ahead shortly before halftime, and they leveled the score right at the end. The conclusion was tense, yet we stayed composed and executed our penalty kicks smoothly.

The Zimra football club’s landmark victory carries great importance because no home team has ever claimed the cup before, and none of the previous winners have managed to retain their championship.

"Winning this means so much," Tabvura said additionally.

We're delighted to have initiated this tradition, and we're eager to defend the title next year.

The SARAIG competition this year included seven teams representing Zambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, and host nation Zimbabwe, taking part in multiple events.

The sports encompassed soccer, basketball, netball, volleyball, swimming, darts, chess, table tennis, and tug of war.

Although Zimra’s soccer and netball squads won gold medals, Zambia led the overall medal count with gold honors; Lesotho secured silver, followed by Zimra claiming bronze.