Sidumisile Mabena
Tadious Manyepo, [email protected]
Scottland 3-0 FC Hunters
SCOTTLAND reminded the league exactly who they are, and Khama Billiat made sure no one missed the message.
The forward produced a ruthless display at Rufaro yesterday, scoring twice with crisp, clinical headers as the champions brushed aside FC Hunters 3-0 in a match that swiftly tilted into a one-sided contest.
It was only his second start of the season. He now has four goals in four appearances. For a player who managed just a single goal across the entire campaign last year, this is a transformed Billiat — sharper, more engaged, and decisive when the game’s key moments arrived.
He dictated the tempo from the front. His movement constantly unsettled the defence, his aerial timing was immaculate, and he still found room to influence the third goal as Scottland shifted seamlessly through their higher gears.
Walter Musona completed the scoring, though the tone had already been firmly set.
Scottland climbed to second on the table with eight points, four behind leaders CAPS United, heading into the international break. The performance delivered a clear message: they are settling, and they are beginning to look dangerous again.
FC Hunters arrived unbeaten in three matches — all goalless draws — and without having conceded. That record survived just over half-an-hour. For the first 20 minutes, they remained organised, compact and disciplined. There were even moments when they threatened to break forward with intent.
Then Scottland found their rhythm.
Moses Shidolo swung in a teasing cross, Billiat rose above his marker and steered his header into the net. Simple, precise, and a warning of what was to come. Scottland did not rush. They played with the composure of a side confident that further chances would inevitably come.
Five minutes into the second half, Billiat struck again — this time meeting a Walter Musona corner with another impeccably timed header that left the goalkeeper rooted. From that moment, the contest was effectively over.
Musona added the third from close range after another sweeping move, capping a performance in which Scottland made the game look almost effortless at times. They created enough opportunities to score more, but Emmanuel Ziocha and substitute Isakar Gurirab both squandered clear openings.
Coach Norman Mapeza was quick to highlight Billiat’s dedication away from the spotlight.
“If you look at Khama Billiat, if you look at Knowledge Musona, they never missed one day of pre-season. Khama was there day and night. You can’t take anything away from him. The intelligence is there, the smartness, and it’s just real talent,” said Mapeza.
For FC Hunters, this was a brutal introduction to the level demanded in the topflight. Coach Nesbert Saruchera admitted his side had been outclassed.
“The main difference was quality. Those guys were too superior,” he said.
Online Reporter