Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Zimpapers Sports Hub
BIKITA Minerals eased their relegation woes with a convincing 3-0 win over Herentals at Sakubva Stadium yesterday, led by a commanding display from Keith Mathe.
Even after going down to ten men in the 58th minute when Chelsea Nyakope was shown a second yellow card, Bikita’s determination never wavered.
The lithium miners showed the hunger of a team fighting for survival, pressing high, defending in numbers, and attacking with conviction.
Mathe, whose composure and skill seemed far too polished for a side battling at the bottom, was at the heart of everything Bikita did right.
His presence lifted the hosts, who for the first time this season scored three goals in a single match.
Both teams began cautiously and wasted good chances early on. In the 11th minute, midfielder Tinashe Ruzive missed a golden opportunity to put Bikita ahead when, through on goal, he shot straight at Herentals goalkeeper Tinotendaishe Takarinda.
Ten minutes later, Herentals midfielder Tinashe Mazambani watched his effort flash across the face of goal, leaving the crowd gasping at what should have been a simple tap-in.
Bikita finally broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. Spence Mugariri pounced on a loose ball in the box and drilled a low shot past a sprawling Takarinda to send the home fans into celebration.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 55th minute when Ruzive made amends for his earlier miss, finishing from close range after a neat build-up.
With fifteen minutes remaining, Tinaye Tsimba sealed the victory, tapping in from a goalmouth scramble to make it 3-0.
After the final whistle, coach Wilson Mutekede was visibly relieved.
“I think this was a well-deserved result. We played well, and I’m happy with the performance. It leaves us under less pressure as we fight to avoid relegation.
We’ll take the positives and try to replicate this in the remaining matches so we can stay in the top flight next season,” said Mutekede.
Herentals coach Celestino Benza, however, was disappointed by his team’s display.
“This was unacceptable, to say the least. We just weren’t applying ourselves well. Yes, we had our moments but failed to convert.
You can’t compete in football when you’re not scoring goals,” said Benza. “We’ll regroup, fix our mistakes, and try to bounce back in the next fixtures.”
Congratulations to Bikita Minerals not just for today’s victory, but for being able to put up fight to remain in the PSL. For a team that plays 34 away matches, it would be unbelievable for it to remain in the PSL. Even Greenfuel which travels most, plays a mere 18 matches away, and so does Triangle. These are the teams which travel the most. Bikita have to travel 170kms to more than 210 kms for their home matches. If they remain in the PSL, they would be hoping that Mucheke would be fit for PSL matches. But still, what I do not understand is how a company like Bikita Minerals fails to put up a structure like Gibbo stadium or Bata Stadium in its own backyard. This should simply be unacceptable for a company that is getting the best of Zimbabwe’s critical resources. A modern sporting facility should be less than a minimum requirement to extract resources in that area. Yet the government remains quiet and is just waiting for another Chiyadzwa to happen. Even the PSL should not relegate Bikita simply for trying. But should push them to establish a decent facility which meets minimum standards in Bikita.