FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza has leapt into the defence of his strikers after losing 1-0 to Horoya at home on Saturday in the CAF Champions League.

The Zimbabwe Champions who are still without a goal and a win after three matches in Group B had another performance that lacked creativity in attack. Lameck Nhamo, Albert Eonde and Ali Sadiki started on the bench but their introduction in the second half saw the hosts picking up the tempo, but nothing came out of it.

“Football is played by 11 players. If we talk about strikers only, I don’t think we are solving any problem.

“This is a collective effort, but we have been working so hard on the creativity in the final third and create opportunities. It is work in progress; it’s a challenge,” said Mapeza, according to NewsDay.

FC Platinum will travel to Conakry on February 12 for the return leg before crossing the Limpopo River to face Orlando Pirates. They conclude the group phase by hosting African champions Esperance of Tunisia in March.