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Ngqabutho Moyo Sports Reporter
Bantu Rovers 2-3 Harare City
RELEGATION continued to stare in Bantu Rovers’ face with yet another home defeat which left them rooted second from the bottom on the table.
At 16 points, seven behind 14th placed Black Rhinos, Bantu will have to up their game or resign themselves to the fate of Division One football and learn that buying a franchise when one is not ready could be disastrous.

And yesterday at Hartsfield Grounds, Harare City had Osborne Mukuradare to thank for their fourth consecutive victory.
Mukuradare punished the hosts with a hattrick.

Harare City were the first to open the scoring with a 14th minute goal from Mukuradare from a perfectly placed freekick a few meters from the box beating Bantu Rovers goalkeeper Takunda Mutanga.

Bantu Rovers missed a handful of chances through captain Nqobizitha Masuku and Obidiah Tarumbwa in the early stages of the first half.
It was Bantu Rovers old timer Hebert Dick who brought the home team back into the game with a 27-minute equaliser when he pushed the ball over the line from a goalmouth scramble after a Tarumbwa corner kick.

The second half was marked by a 46th minute substitution of the hosts’ young Lucky Ndlela for Dalubuhle Moraka in a move to add more punch.  It proved fruitless as the recently acquired striker failed to find the back of the net.

Mukuradare added two more goals to his name, in the 50th minute and the third winning effort on 79 minutes when he dribbled past Bantu’s Teenage Hadebe and beat Bantu’s second choice goalkeeper Nkosilathi Mlalazi.

Mlalazi had come in the 61st minute after the first choice goalkeeper Mutanga was injured following a collision with Mukuradare.
Mukuradare turned villain when he was sent off following a second bookable offence in the 89th minute for time wasting.

It was then that Bantu scored their second goal through Tafadzwa Kutinyu in the 91st minute but it was not enough to get them a much needed share of the spoils.

After the match Harare City  head coach, Masimba Dinyero, said  he was happy with the team’s performance.

Teams
Bantu Rovers: Takunda Mutanga (Nkosilathi Mlalazi 61st minute), Lucky Ndlela (Dalubuhle Moraka), Herbert Dick, Teenager Hadebe, Fortune Ncube, Bongani Sikwila, Ngobizitha Masuku,Tafadzwa Kutinyu, Obidiah Tarumba, Moses Majika, Bukhosi Sibanda
Harare City: Max Nyamupadengu, Timire Mamvura, Munyaradzi Nyenyediro, David Kutyauripo, Arnold Chaka, Tendai Ngulube, Jam James (Raymond Uchena), Osborne Mukuradare, Martin Vengesai (Talent Chawapiwa), Francisco Zvikumbawire, William Manondo (Benson Maglasi)