体坛英语资讯：Zimbabwe take over as African top-ranked soccer team

 Zimbabwe's home-based Warriors took over as the top-ranked team in the African Championship of Nations (CHAN), The Herald said on Tuesday.

Warriors have stretched their unbeaten run in the tournament to 11 matches and provided more ammunition to the voices of those who preach the gospel that the domestic Premiership is one of the strongest on the continent.

Zimbabwe have won seven of the 11 matches they have played in the CHAN tournament, drawn four, including three during the final of the inaugural tourney last year, haven't lost a match and have scored 18 goals and conceded six.

That has given them 25 points, from the 11 matches they have played to date, and pole place in the rankings with a three-point advantage over holders DRC whose team, made up predominantly of players from African champions TP Mazembe, swept to success in Cote d'Ivoire last year with a 2-0 win over Ghana in the final.

Interestingly, both the DRC and Ghana were in the same group as the Warriors in Cote d'Ivoire and their matches ended in draws with Zimbabwe first settling for a 2-2 draw against the Black Stars of Ghana and then a 1-1 draw against the DRC.

The Congolese have played the same number of CHAN games like the Warriors (11) and are in second place on the table with 22 points from six wins, four draws and one defeat.

Ghana, who lost the inaugural final when they went down 0-2 to the DRC in Abidjan, are in third place with 18 points from 11 games with four wins, six draws and a single loss in that final.

Senegal are in fourth place, also from 11 matches, and are only a point behind Ghana while Zambia, who reached the semifinals of the last tournament thanks to the goalscoring instincts of Given Singuluma, are in fifth place.

Zimbabwe are the only unbeaten team, among the top five sides in the CHAN rankings, while the Warriors are just one of two teams, in the top 10, which are yet to suffer the pain of defeat in this tournament restricted to players plying their trade in their home countries.

Record African Nations Cup winners Egypt, whose senior national team is made up predominantly of players from their domestic league, have not been playing in the CHAN tournament because they believe their squad is too strong for the opposition.