Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo in SHAMVA
Agama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1)1
Herentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
HERENTALS coach Celestino Benza lamented how Agama goalkeeper Wilson Brown went down more than 20 times to interrupt the flow of the game as the Students suffered a blow in their title push at Wadzanai yesterday.
Richard Kumi tapped in the winning goal eight minutes after the break to give the Mt Darwin side a huge boost in their survival fight.
Herentals arrived in Shamva looking to restore the gap between them and leaders Scottland back to seven points after the latter won their game against Manica Diamonds lsat Friday.
They were expected to win too, especially against a team that is struggling down the ladder and whom they gave a thorough hiding (3-0) in the reverse fixture at Rufaro.
Herentals threw everything in their attacking third, but each time they tried to breach Agama, Brown was sure to kill their momentum with ultra-delaying tactics that got worse after the hosts took the lead.
“For the first time, I’ve seen a goalkeeper going down more than 20 times, and for every time he went down, he was receiving medical treatment, and it was for more than five minutes.
“The game was not playable. We can’t play the ball when something like that is happening,” said Benza. “I think things like that disturb the flow of the game. “But you can’t take anything away from Agama, the way they played was good.
“They really earned the win, and congratulations to them.
“My boys know that they’re supposed to rise. Every time they know that they’re supposed to do their best. It was just a bad day in the office in which Agama got to convert their chance and we failed to convert ours.”
Herentals are having one of their best runs in the top-flight and are a dark horse in the title race.
And it was showing throughout the afternoon, although Agama could have scored a second through a Kumi penalty that was saved by Tariq Ngwenya.
In the absence of the suspended Marshal Takarinda, Ngwenya had to step in, and he had an outstanding game between the posts.
At the opposite end, Tinashe Mupumha almost opened the scoring with a stinging volley that, however, went over from just outside the area.
Leading scorer in the PSL Ralph Kawondera twice headed over while substitute Lot Chiwunga’s close-range header crashed against the upright.
Agama are now on 16 points and closer to the safety mark after the victory.
Coach Godfrey Tamirepi said: “The guys presented themselves very well. “It could have been more than this, but all the same, I can’t complain, but the most important thing is that we managed to achieve the objective.
“We needed to collect the three points. The points are so valuable. Credit goes to my boys for this sweet performance.”
