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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter

WITH FC Platinum already crowned champions for a fourth consecutive Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season, excitement in the championship turns to the battle for survival.

FC Platinum won the title with three matches left after attaining an unassailable 68 points following their 2-2 draw against Caps United.

Second-placed Dynamos on 56 points could have delayed crowning of FC Platinum, but a 1-0 defeat to Bulawayo City who are swimming in the murky relegation waters ensured that the championship heads to Zvishavane with three rounds of games left.

For Bulawayo City, the penalty converted by skipper Melikhaya Ncube gave Amakhosi their second consecutive victory and their first ever win against Dynamos.

It was Bulawayo City’s eighth meeting with Dynamos since their promotion to the topflight in 2016. Before their weekend win, Bulawayo City had lost five times drawn twice against the Glamour Boys.

Besides celebrating their biggest win against the country’s giants, the victory lifted Bulawayo City from second of the bottom to position 15 with 30 points.

They leapfrogged Harare City who were beaten 2-0 away at Manica Diamonds as well as Tenax who were clobbered 4-0 by Triangle United.

Bulawayo City

With nine points to play for, Bulawayo City are five points adrift of 14th placed ZPC Kariba who kept their survival hopes alive when they fought from a goal down to condemn Whawha to first division with a 2-1 win.
Kudzanai Dhemere and Vassilli Kawe’s goals for the power generators were enough to secure ZPC Kariba three points, cancelling a first half goal by Jayden Bakare.

Harare City and Tenax, who are tied on 28 points no longer have control of their survival fate, as they will be relegated alongside Bulawayo City at the end of match day 32 if ZPC Kariba win their fixture.

ZPC Kariba play host to Bulawayo City in their next game, an encounter that will define the fate of the latter.
A victory for Bulawayo City who won the first leg against ZPC Kariba 3-0 will see them reduce the points difference to two, giving them hope of escaping the chop in the event that they go on to win all their remaining matches while their opponents lose.

A victory for ZPC Kariba will take their points tally to an unassailable 38 points.

If Bulawayo City lose in Kariba, even if they win their remaining two matches at home to Harare City and away to Black Rhinos will end the season with 36 points. Bulawayo City played to identical 0-0 draws with Harare City and Black Rhinos.

This permutation sucks in Yadah on position 12 and 13th on the table Cranborne Bullets into the survival fight. The two sides are tied on 35 points and defeats to FC Platinum and Triangle United in their next games leave them vulnerable.

Harare City and Tenax might end the season on 37 points if they win their remaining three games. Harare City are left with a home tie against relegated Whawha, an away fixture against Bulawayo City and wrap the season at home to Highlanders. In the first leg, the Sunshine City Boys shared spoils in a 1-1 game with Whawha, drew 0-0 against Bulawayo City and lost 1-0 to Bosso.

Tenax’s outstanding games are at home to Ngezi Platinum Stars who beat them 4-0 in the first leg, then a clash with Cranborne who they edged 1-0 and wrap up with Manica Diamonds who they lost to 1-0.

But key in the survival battle will be the result between Bulawayo City and ZPC Kariba. After hosting Bulawayo City, ZPC Kariba head to Bulawayo to face Highlanders before returning to Nyamhunga for a date with Herentals. — @ZililoR