THE Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) soccer team etched its name in history by defending their gold medal at the Southern Africa Inter Revenue Games (SARAIG) held at the University of Zimbabwe last week.
The victory marked a repeat of their success from the previous year's tournament in Lesotho.
In an edge-of-the-seat final, Zimra edged out Malawi 4-2 in penalties after the match ended 1-1 after regulation time. The locals took the lead at halftime, only for Malawi to equalise deep into the second half, forcing the match into a penalty shootout.
Malawi, who had won their semifinal spot through penalties against Zambia, were confident heading into the shootout. However, Zimra remained calm and composed, with team captain Talent Tabvura praising his team's nerves of steel.
"It was a tough final," Tabvura told Standard Sport.
"We took the lead just before the interval, and they equalised right at the death. It was a nervy ending, but we remained calm and took our penalties nice and easy."
Zimra soccer team's historic win holds special significance, as no host team has previously lifted the trophy, and no champions have successfully defended their title.
"This victory means a lot," Tabvura added.
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"We're proud to have started this legacy, and we're looking forward to retaining the cup next year."
This year's SARAIG tournament featured seven participating teams from Zambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, and hosts Zimbabwe, competing in various disciplines.
The disciplines included soccer, basketball, netball, volleyball, pool, darts, chess, table tennis and tug of war.
While Zimra's soccer and netball teams took gold, Zambia topped the overall medal table with gold, Lesotho took silver, with Zimra securing bronze.
