Zimpapers Logo

From Tobias Mandoreba in Hwange
Hwange ……………………………………………………. (2) 4
Harare City ………………………………………………. (0) 1
A FIRED up Hwange produced some stunning and breathtaking football to turn Harare City’s big dream of leapfrogging Highlanders into pole position on the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League log table into a big nightmare before a vocal crowd at the Colliery Stadium yesterday.With log leaders Bosso stumbling to a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Caps United on Saturday, the Sunshine Boys who beat Monomotapa 3-1 in their last game, trooped into the coalminers’ den oozing with confidence especially given Hwange’s form where they had lost two consecutive games.

But football will always remain a crazy game as the hosts went on rampage to reduce the title chasing Harare side into an ordinary outfit.

The Nation Dube coached lads did not take long to show they meant serious business as they surged ahead as early as the sixth minute through Gilbert Zulu who connected a delicate Eric Chipeta cross with a flashing header which left Harare City goal minder Maxwell Nyamupanedengu clutching thin air.

The visitors could have responded barely five minutes later but defender Crispen Dickson watched in agony as his ferocious freekick from the edge of the box sailed just inches over the cross bar.

Harare City then kept asking lots of questions in search of an early response and in the 20th minute speedy striker Martin Vengesayi used his pace to move into the Hwange box before releasing Osborne Mukuradare whose first time volley found Timothy Sibanda alert on duty.

In a swift counter attack moments later Nyamupanedengu also smothered an Isaac Masame low shot as the game livened up.

The coalminers then pinned Harare City in their own half with some dangerous moves revolving around the hosts’ man-of-the-match Tafara Chese and young Phakamani Dube.

The pressure proved too much for the visitors two minutes before the break as defender Munyaradzi Nyenye needlessly hacked down Chese in the box leaving outstanding Hwange referee Bekezela Makeka with no option than to point to the spot.

Up stepped captain Gerald Ndlovu to send Nyamupanedengu the wrong way to throw the home fans into a frenzy. Seven minutes after the breather Nyenye atoned for his earlier mistake when he scooped a powerful Munyaradzi Mungadze header off the line with his Warriors goalkeeper well beaten.

In the 62nd minute Harare City got a lifeline when William Manondo pulled one back with a simple tap in after he came at the end of a dazzling three-man move involving Phineas Bamusi, Martin Vengesayi and substitute Talent Chawapiwa. Four minutes after that goal, a chance to draw level presented itself on a silver platter when Hwange defender Mungadze, under no pressure at all, handled the ball leading to the visitors being awarded a penalty kick.

Mukuradare disappointed with a lame effort which was punched back into play by Timothy Sibanda and from the clearance by evergreen defender David Boriwondo, Hwange raced out of sight through a cracker from Phakamani Dube.

Chese had latched onto the clearance and made a darting run through the middle of the park before releasing to the on-rushing Dube whose effort almost tore the nets.

The faces on the Harare City bench after this goal told a big story of a team who had accepted their fate.

Fifteen minutes from the end the visitors’ day turned from bad to worse as Zulu completed his double with another fine header into the back of the nets after Evans Rusike had spotted him unmarked in the box.

Even some renewed fighting spirit from Bamusi who combined well with substitutes Crybert Muvuti and Chawapiwa could not prevent the Sunshine Boys from making the long trip back to the capital empty-handed as most of their attacks were foiled by the lanky Boriwondo, who is now nicknamed “Tollgate” by the Hwange faithfuls for his clean job at the back.

Hwange assistant coach Brian Njobvu declared that his team is always geared to silence respected sides.

“We want those teams who will be in the limelight for good results so that we discipline them here as you saw for yourself. I think our problems of a blunt strikeforce are now history as we want to start scoring goals in the coming games,” said a smiling Njobvu.

Harare City’s Bigboy Mawiwi lamented the soft goals conceded by his boys.

“I am not happy with the soft goals we conceded today as you always get punished in soccer for such mistakes. However we will work on the mistakes and bounce back as this team is work in progress. The other turning point of the game was that penalty miss but such is football.” he said.

Teams

Hwange:   T   Sibanda,   P   Dube   (O   Lungu   75th   minute); M Mungadze, G Ndlovu, D Boriwondo, A Tshuma, I Masame ( M Longwe 87th minute), E Chipeta, G Zulu, E Rusike (N Siwela 75th  minute), T Chese.

Harare City:   M   Nyamupanedengu,  M  Nyenye,   R Maketo, C Dickson, W Nyamutsaka, J Jam, W Manondo, T Nyamadzawo (T Chawapiwa 46th  minute), M Vengesayi (C Muvuti 65th minute), O Mukuradare (G Nyamadzawo 70th minute), P Bamusi.