Are the good times back?… as Green Machine effortlessly see off Gem Boys

Bruce Chikuni

CAPS United………………………………(2) 0

Manica Diamonds………………………(0) 0

CAPS United coach, Lloyd Chitembwe, said their flying start to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League campaign at the National Sports Stadium yesterday had given credibility to their organised pre-season campaign.

Thulani Joseph gave the hosts an early lead capitalising on Manica Diamonds goalie, Jerome Muchambo’s howler failing to deal with Godknows Murwira’s cross in the third minute.

Makepekepe showed experience in midfield with Devon Chafa combining well with William Manondo and Blessing Sarupinda.

The Green Machine got their second on the stroke of half-time from Sarupinda, who was in fine form.

The Gem Boys were a changed side after the restart.

Brett Amidu made instant impact after his introduction in the second half, and he proved a handful for the CAPS United midfield.

But, Makepekepe’s defensive unit was largely impenetrable, with new acquisition, Kelvin Madzongwe, partnering well with Ben Musaka.

The hosts were reduced to 10 men when Thulani Joseph made a reckless tackle on Amidu with just three minutes from full-time.

Godknows Murwira was showered with money from a section of CAPS United fans who felt his impact on the team after the final whistle.

Chitembwe said their slow performance in the second half was deliberate to preserve energy.

“We were two goals ahead and it’s not like we were chasing the game, so there was no need for us to keep going forward,” said Chitembwe.

“I’m impressed with our overall performance; it was a good start for the players and it was an important win for our fans.

“It’s very unfortunate that Joseph was sent off, but I think he played well. He is someone who has improved and I hope that he will be the same player when he returns from suspension,” said Chitembwe.

Manica Diamonds coach, Jairos Tapera, said it was a wake-up call for his players.

“We conceded an early goal and it was always going to be difficult to comeback.

“The boys responded well to the game plan after the break, albeit too late, but we took a few positives from this fixture.

“We now know the areas which we need to work on. We learnt a lot today and we also lacked luck in some situations,” said Tapera.