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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
Chicken Inn 3-1 Caps United

THE future of Caps United coach Lloyd Chitembwe was cast deep into uncertainty following a drubbing by Chicken Inn at Luveve Stadium yesterday.

Despite a spirited performance in the second half in which they dominated ball possession, Makepekepe still found themselves on the losing end against a gritty Chicken Inn, coached by Chitembwe’s former coach at Caps, Rahman Gumbo.

Chicken Inn wheeled to a 2-0 lead in the opening 14 minutes of the match through goals by veteran Obidiah Tarumbwa and right-back Passmore Bernard.

Tarumbwa then hammered the final nail on the Caps coffin six minutes from full time after Phineas Bamusi had reduced arrears and given the champions hope of at least salvaging a point.

However, it was Chitembwe’s hand signal to the Caps’ supporters as he walked to the dressing room that suggested a man throwing in the towel. He did not attend the post match interview, but instead sent in his assistant Tostao Kwashi.

“We haven’t had the team talk yet, so no words have been said,” said Kwashi when asked what Chitembwe’s words were to his players in the dressing room.

Away from Chitembwe’s uncertainty, Chicken Inn set off to find an early opener and they did just that through a beauty of a goal.

Tarumbwa found himself unmarked near the touchline, rode a tackle and like a true veteran, picked his spot and unleashed a curler that beat Caps goalkeeper Jorum Muchambo in the 11th minute.

The GameCocks were 2-0 up three minutes later courtesy of Bernard, whose effort seemed to deflect off a Caps defender to beat Muchambo.

An overlapping Bernard received a pass from Chris Samakweri on the right side while unmarked inside the box and went for goal, and goal it was.

Try as they did, Caps could not breach the home side’s defence.

Chitembwe’s boys came back from the breather a rejuvenated lot and fought for every ball, as they searched for a goal. It wasn’t a surprise when Bamusi pulled one back in the 50th minute by scrambling the ball home following some miscommunication in the home side’s defence.

After the goal, it became a Makepekepe show, as they sought an equaliser. It almost came in the 58th minute through Amon Kambanje’s scissors kick from inside the box that, however, found Elvis Chipezeze in goal for Chicken Inn alert.

The lively Bamusi returned to worry Chipezeze in the 75th minute.  His glancing header beat the goalkeeper, but the ball agonisingly trickled out of play for a goal kick.

“We lost the battle, but the war is still on. We keep our heads up, all we need is just one win and we will be back in it,” said Kwashi.

An elated Gumbo said it was still game on and his side was still well within its set targets.

“As I have been saying, all we want is to grind a result and we don’t mind how we do that,” said Gumbo.

His team now heads to Zvishavane on Saturday to take on FC Platinum as log leaders following yesterday’s win.

Teams
Chicken Inn: Elvis Chipezeze, Passmore Bernard, Devine Lunga (Ben Nyaunzwi 50th min), Moses Jackson, Guide Goddard, Clemence Matawu, Chris Samakweri (Collins Duwa 59th min), Brian Juru, Obidiah Tarumbwa, Innocent Mucheneka, Darryl Nyandoro( Kuda Gurure 66th min)

Caps United: Jorum Muchambo, Hardlife Zvirekwi (Zvikomborero Bizeki 90th min) Valentine Musarurwa, Carlton Munzabwa, Stephen Makatuka, Devon Chafa, Cabby Kamhapa ( John Zhuwawo 46th min), Joel Ngodzo (Kudzai Nyamupfukudza 83rd min), Phenias Bamusi, Amon Kambanje, Dominic Chungwa

Table

P     W     D     L     F     A     GD     Pts
Chicken Inn     19     12     2     5     20     8     10     38
Ngezi Platinum     19     11     4     4     33     18     15     37
FC Platinum     18     9     8     1     18     8     10     35
*Dynamos     17     10     3     4     25     16     9     33
How Mine     19     9     6     4     15     12     3     33
Black Rhinos     18     9     4     5     23     14     9     31
Highlanders     18     9     4     5     20     15     5     31
ZPC Kariba     19     8     5     6     19     16     3     29
Triangle United     19     6     7     6     18     19     -1     25
*Chapungu     18     6     6     6     13     13     0     24
Shabanie Mine     19     5     7     7     13     16     -3     22
Harare City     19     5     6     8     13     14     -1     21
Bulawayo City     18     6     3     9     18     22     -4     21
Yadah FC     19     5     5     9     15     22     -7     20
Hwange     19     4     5     9     15     24     -9     17
Caps United     13     3     5     5     17     16     1     14
Bantu Rovers     19     2     3     15     18     39     -21     9
Tsholotsho FC     19     0     7     12     9     30     -21     7

*match abandoned