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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

FIFA referees’ instructor Felix Tangawarima has confirmed that Highlanders’ striker Prince Dube scored a brace for the Warriors in Sunday’s Chan first-leg qualifier against Lesotho at the National Sports Stadium, which the home side won 3-1.

Some media outlets had erroneously attributed the second Warriors’ goal to Chan skipper Petros Jaure, claiming video replays showed that the goal was scored by the Manica Diamonds defender but Zambian referee Audrick Nkole recorded Dube as the scorer in the 60th minute. 

Dube had opened his account in the 13th minute, with William Taderera adding the third goal in the 83rd minute before a late penalty by Kalake Hlompho gave the visitors a consolation goal ahead of the return leg next month.

“I have checked with the match commissioner and he said player number 13 scored two goals and player number 10, who came in as substitute, scored one goal,” said Tangawarima in response to a Chronicle Sport inquiry.

Gilbert Zide Dlamini from Eswatini was the match commissioner.

Dube’s brace takes his senior national team goals to six, having opened his scoring chart in a 1-0 win over Namibia in a Chan qualifier in 2017. 

He then scored a hat trick against Mauritius in this year’s Chan campaign at Barbourfields Stadium in Zimbabwe’s 3-1 win over the islanders.

His hat trick at Barbourfields Stadium saw him joining an elite list of Warriors’ players that have scored three goals in a single match. 

That list has the legendary Shackman Tauro, who was the first to score a hat trick for Zimbabwe in 1982 against Zanzibar. 

Ex-Dynamos dribbler Vitalis Takawira followed suit against Cameroon in 1995 and two years later it was Gilbert Mushangazhike against Vietnam. Agent Sawu made his mark against Eritrea in 1999 before Peter Ndlovu grabbed one against Swaziland in 2004.