Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi, Zimpapers Sports Hub
Scottland 0-1 CAPS United
CAPS United fans finally had reason to dust off their party shoes.
After a tough start to the season and weeks of frustration, the Green Machine produced a disciplined display at Rufaro yesterday to edge a star studded Scottland side 1-0, a victory powered by new signing Mutshimba Kope Mugalu’s first-half header.
The 34-year-old Congolese striker, brought in during the mid-season window, proved an instant hit on debut, grabbing the winner in the 36th minute with a towering bullet header that left Talbert Shumba stranded.
Mugalu, who has worked under Ian Bakala at three different clubs, was no surprise to the CAPS United coach.
“He’s a striker that I know,” Bakala said. “This is the third club where I’m coaching him and I know his qualities. Age might be there, but he’s a hard worker. I have faith in him. This is the first game, so I can’t judge him yet, but I will continue pushing him.
“It’s not only him. I think all the players played well. He did his part, but I’m also happy with Bruce Kangwa, I think Bruce is helping us a lot. We hope these small boys will learn from him. We still have work to do. Each game is different.”
Makepekepe were not shy to throw in all their new recruits, with Zambian defender Chitoshi Chinga and former Warriors winger Ishmael Wadi also in the starting lineup. Scottland, meanwhile, handed a debut to returning South African based forward Terence Dzvukamanja.
The build up to this fixture had been spicy, fuelled by a week of social media banter, and both sides looked determined to keep it on the ground. But the uneven Rufaro pitch made passing football nearly impossible.
Wadi learned that the hard way 13 minutes in. After doing well to break free down the left, the bounce tripped him up just as he prepared to pull the trigger. His effort still forced a save, but he limped off clutching his leg. Thankfully, it was nothing serious.
CAPS United made their early pressure count moments later. After winning a free kick on the right, Brian Kadamanja whipped in a pin point ball into the box. Mugalu rose unmarked and buried it with a thumping header, cue wild celebrations in the packed City End.
Chances were limited after that, but the match opened up in the second half. Kadamanja almost grabbed a stunning second just after the restart with a speculative long range strike that forced a sharp save from Shumba.
Scottland, who barely tested Ghanaian goalkeeper Stephen Kwaku in the first-half, finally came alive.
Khama Billiat wriggled into space and fired on the turn, forcing a decent save from the CAPS stopper.
Moments later, Scottland nearly levelled from a Walter Musona free kick. Tymon Machope’s header crashed off the underside of the bar and back into play. Billiat’s follow up flew over.
CAPS United then came close to doubling their lead on the hour mark. Nyasha Chintuli, who had worked tirelessly all afternoon, pounced on a loose ball inside the box and unleashed a fierce shot, only for Shumba to produce a superb flying save to tip it wide.
Scottland kept pushing for an equaliser. Musona wasted two promising free kicks, then substitute Michael Tapera thought he’d rescued a point with a last minute header, only to see it ruled out for offside.
For CAPS United, it was a win with far reaching implications. Having spent most of the season flirting with relegation, they climbed to 10th on the log with 23 points.
Bakala, though, remained grounded.
“It’s not a big win, just a good victory,” he said. “I told the players this was the easiest game. Big-name players often want to play as individuals. But we played as a team, and that gave us the result.
“The job isn’t done. We focus on the next game. They’re also not top of the league. We’re both fighting, and today we just did enough.”
Scottland coach Tonderai Ndiraya now finds himself under pressure, with murmurs growing louder from the terraces. His side have now gone four matches without a win and trail log leaders MWOS by 12 points. MWOS took their tally to 40 after beating ZPC Kariba 1-0 yesterday.
Ndiraya, however, insisted they weren’t outplayed.
“We’ve played good football, but we’re just not getting the results,” he said. “I thought we had a very good game today. For most of it, we were in control.
“In the first half, we had an early chance we should have buried. In games like this, small details matter. We needed to score at least one or two goals to win it.”
CAPS United fans didn’t care much for the detail. For them, the night belonged to Mugalu, and the party lasted long after the final whistle.
