Online Reporter
Ray Bande in Mutare, Bikita Minerals 1-1 Simba Bhora
BIKITA Minerals clung to a flicker of survival hope after forcing a 1-1 draw against Simba Bhora in a Castle Lager Premiership match at Sakubva Stadium yesterday.
The point kept the lithium miners tied on 37 points with Triangle United, who sit just above them, setting up a tense final weekend that will decide who stays up and who goes down.
It was Simba Bhora who struck first, thanks to a moment of brilliance from Blessing Moyo. The utility player unleashed a 31st minute thunderbolt from distance that smashed off the right post, ricocheted off goalkeeper Taona Temera’s back and nestled in the net. It was the kind of strike that could easily make the shortlist for Goal of the Season.
Three minutes later, Simba nearly doubled their lead when Emmanuel Ziocha’s curling effort beat Temera but crashed against the upright.
But just when it seemed Bikita were on the ropes, they found a lifeline. In the 39th minute, Lee Manyuchi, quiet for most of the first half, reacted quickest inside the box to stab home the equaliser and keep his team’s relegation fight alive.
The second half turned cagey, both sides creating half chances but lacking the precision to change the scoreline.
After the final whistle, Bikita Minerals coach Wilson Mutekede admitted frustration at dropping two points that could have secured their safety.
“It’s sad that we failed to get maximum point playing at home. That would have given us a little breathing space going into the last round of league matches. I thought we played well to deserve the three points but at the end of the day football is about scoring goals to win, if you do not score you will not win. We failed to score hence we settled for this draw. We will fight on and expect to get a good result that will see us survive relegation next weekend,” said Mutekede.
Simba Bhora coach Joel “Dubai” Luphahla felt his side should have killed off the game.
“We played well and we could have easily won this match if we had made the most of the scoring opportunities that came our way. Unfortunately, we did not and here we are, the match ended in a draw.
Given the result from all the other matches, which ended mostly in draws, we will fight for the second position as it would be a befitting tribute to our fans back home who have been so supportive of the team,” said Luphahla.
The draw leaves Bikita Minerals walking a tightrope, their Premiership fate hanging on the final round of fixtures next weekend.
