Zimbabwe coach Sunday Chidzambwa has lifted the Cosafa Cup twice before, and could well be on the winners' podium on July 9 if his side keep up the emphatic start they delivered in their first game of the 2017 edition on Wednesday.
A 4-0 thrashing of Mozambique in their opening Group B encounter at the Moruleng Stadium in South Africa's North West Province served notice of the potential of a strong-looking squad, although they must overcome an arduous programme if they are to go all the way through to the final at the end of the second week.
Captain Ovidy Karuru scored twice and had ample opportunity to compete a hat trick, and there were late goals for Ocean Mushure -- with a rasping free kick from long range -- and debutant Blessing Majarira.
"I'm happy that we produce a good result in our first match although it could have been by more goals. I'm happy with what I saw," the winner in 2003 and 2009 said afterwards. Zimbabwe must now overcome Madagascar on Wednesday to confirm top place in Group B, with a modest assignment to follow on Friday against the Seychelles.
The islanders have had two months of continued success with victories home and away over Malawi in the CHAN-2018 qualifiers, followed by a surprise away win over Sudan at the start of the 2019 African Nations Cup qualifiers, and now a positive beginning to their bid for Cosafa Castle Cup glory.
Ardino Raveloarisona scored before halftime on the counter attack and Rinjala Raherinaivo floated a delightful chip into the net in the 75th minute to beat Seychelles 2-0.
The Group B winner will go onto meet Swaziland in the last of the quarter-finals on Sunday, by which time it will be a fourth game in six days for the side exiting through the first round. The top six seeds only play from the last eight onwards.
But Namibia proved two years ago it was possible to overcome the physical exhaustion of playing in both the opening group matches and then the knockout competition in the second week of the tournament and still win. Chidzambwa will be thinking the same.
But he would not be drawn on whether Zimbabwe will now look to pace themselves. "I'm not looking further than the game against Madagascar, the rest will take care of itself," he insisted.
The annual southern African championship has relentless pace and continues on Tuesday at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg when Malawi take on Mauritius first, before Angola and Tanzania, who both won on the opening day on Sunday, clash for supremacy.