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Taurai Mangwiro

Tobias Mandoreba Hwange Correspondent
Hwange 2-1 Caps United
THE coalminers prevailed over Caps United in a Castle Lager Premier league match at the Colliery Stadium yesterday.
The result was good revenge for the miners who lost by a similar margin in the reverse fixture.
However, the match was marred by lots of drama and controversy which took away all the gloss from a beautiful game of football especially just before resumption of the last half.

Four red cards flashed to two players and visitors’ officials, eight straight yellows to Caps’ players for using an undesignated entry point from the halftime break, some nasty shoving involving players, police details and officials were some of the scenes which had the capacity to push the faint-hearted football lovers far away from the game.

Tempers started flaring as early as the 30th minute when referee Bonamali Bwanali awarded the hosts a penalty after leftback Asani Nhongo tripped Hwange midfielder Farai Vimisai as he went for the kill.

The decision, which was spotted by the second assistant referee Venaldo Zulu, appeared to incense the Caps players and technical bench with their vocal green and white masses joining in with roars of disapproval as they mobbed Bwanali to complain that the offence had been committed just outside the box.

Bwanali stood his ground and up stepped Hwange young goalkeeper Takabva Mawaya to send his opposite number Tafadzwa Dube the wrong way but Makepekepe came out of the scuffle two men short on the bench after assistant coach Mike Madzivanyika and goalkeepers’ coach Richard Tswatswa were sent to the terraces.

The goal gave the miners a double advantage as they had surged ahead in the 19th minute courtesy of Alec Marime who capitalised on some laxity in Caps’ defence to bang home from close range.

The Green Machine had fluffed a golden opportunity in the 10th minute when Kelvin Bulaji shot into the waiting palms of Mawaya from a one on one situation.
Exactly eight minutes after Mawaya’s penalty conversion more drama was in store as Caps were awarded a penalty after Hwange defender Tonisani Sibelo was adjudged to have fouled Nicholas Alifandika in the hosts’ box.

The skilful Honey Chimutimunzeve stepped up to convert the spot kick and in the process reduced the arrears for the visiting Caps who needed three points badly to catapult themselves to the top of the table.

Then came the 10-minute stoppage at the beginning of the last half when eight Caps players Tafadzwa Dube, Alifandika, Tendai Samanja, Tapiwa Khumbuyani, Dominic Mukandi, George Nyirenda, Stephen Makatuka and Chimutimunzeve were shown yellow cards for scaling the perimeter fence to gain entry to the pitch from the break.

From the offence Chimutimunzeve came out the biggest loser as he was sent for an early shower after having been shown another yellow in the 29th minute for rough play.

This led to some scuffles as some protests ensued as the visitors disputed the cautions with the police details rushing onto the field to try and restore order.
Ten minutes into the last half, Mangwiro then threw in Hwange born Dominic Chungwa for the wasteful Bulaji to try and pull the game out of the fire for the 10-man visitors but their stocky striker was kept under lock and key by substitute defender and captain Gerald Ndlovu.

The introduction of Gerald Phiri for Tapuwa Khumbuyani in the 71st minute lifted the numerically disadvantaged Caps.
Phiri and Zvirekwi gave the rearguard some anxious moments which failed to yield the equaliser.

Deep into injury time Marime was also shown a red card by Bwanali for insulting the Caps substitutes.
With the win Hwange jumped into fourth position with 30 points swapping positions with Caps who are also on the same number of points but have an inferior goal difference.

Hwange goalkeepers’ coach Chenjerayi Dube was happy at the end of the match.
“I am happy for the three points, I say well done to my boys. As for the referees I don’t have a comment as their decisions are always final,” he said.

Caps’ gaffer Taurai Mangwiro was seething with fury at the end of the match and said the trip to Hwange was a waste of time.
“You can write what you saw but in all fairness there was no point of coming here judging by what happened,” he said.

Teams
Hwange: T Mawaya; T Sibelo; M Mungadze; A Tshuma (G Ndlovu 46th minute); D Boriwondo; C Muleya (O Lungu 66th minute); F Vimisai; R Chinyengetere; G Zulu; A Marime; T Chamboko (T Chese 55th minute)
Caps United: T Dube; T Khumbuyani (G Phiri 71st minute) S Makatuka; G Nyirenda; A Nhongo (M Makanje 46th minute); D Mukandi; T Samanja; H Zvirekwi; N Alifandika; H Chimutimunzeve; K Bulaji (D Chungwa 55th minute).