Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CAPS United . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
FC Platinum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
CAPS United’s lean spell continued yesterday after the Harare giants squandered a host of scoring opportunities to settle for a goalless draw against FC Platinum at Rufaro.
Makepekepe’s struggles to convert dominance into victories deepened as they recorded a third successive stalemate, following similar draws against MWOS and Simba Bhora. Apparently, these are results that have stalled their momentum in the title race.
Despite the setback, CAPS United reclaimed top spot on the log with 28 points, one ahead of Hardrock, whose fixture against Dynamos is set to be determined in the boardroom following crowd trouble at Chahwanda on Sunday.
However, the return to pole position did little to mask the frustration, as yesterday’s outcome felt like two points lost after a largely dominant display.
Caretaker coach Ian Bakala, stepping in for Takesure Chiragwi who is away on national team duty, admitted disappointment at his side’s failure to convert their superiority into goals.
“This is not the result we expected, considering how the team performed,” said Bakala.
“We did almost everything right, and our preparation showed that we wanted it more.
“The only thing we didn’t do was score. It’s a painful draw, even though we got a point. We just have to work harder ahead of the next game.”
CAPS United asserted themselves from the outset, carving out early chances within the opening 15 minutes.
Chawananga Kaonga broke clear but dragged his effort wide before Ishmael Wadi delivered a dangerous ball across goal moments later.
Striker Takunda Benhura, however, failed to apply the finishing touch, missing a straightforward tap-in, while Talent Chamboko ballooned his effort over the bar from the back post in a sequence that summed up CAPS’ wastefulness.
Skipper Richard Hachiro came closest to breaking the deadlock when his thunderous long-range strike crashed against the upright midway through the first half.
Midfielder Brett Amidu was at the heart of CAPS United’s attacking rhythm, combining close control with incisive passing as FC Platinum were largely pinned back in their own half during the opening period. Amidu himself nearly found the target late in the half, but his effort drifted narrowly wide after a neat exchange with Wadi.
To their credit, FC Platinum weathered the storm, with Garikai Dematsika putting a disciplined shift in midfield to disrupt the trio of Hachiro, Amidu and Lloyd Njaliwa.
The visitors’ defensive resilience was complemented by goalkeeper Raphael Pitisi, who delivered a commanding performance between the posts to earn the LuckyBets Man of the Match award, highlighted by solid organisation and assured ball distribution.
FC Platinum showed more attacking intent in the final half hour, with the introduction of winger Jarrison Selemani injecting urgency into their forward play.
Coach Joel Luphahla praised his team’s resilience after a difficult first half.
“I think it was a game of two halves where I felt that CAPS United had a better first half. I think we panicked a little bit.
“We did not come out of the blocks from the first minute, and also we gave them more space, especially the forwards. And their overloads were working well for them, I think, in the first half.
“And in the second half we managed to change things because in the first half we were playing with a flat four and the overloads were working in their favour, which made it difficult for us to play our normal game because most of the time we were chasing the football.
“Then in the second half we changed into a back three, and it gave us a little bit of stability at the back because of the pockets that the CAPS United forwards were running into.
“We managed a little bit, and you could see that we were ourselves. We started to knock the football around, and I felt that with a little bit of luck we could have gotten all three points, but also credit to the boys. I think we survived.
“We survived the first half. They had so many chances that they could have buried, but credit to the boys and also our goalkeeper. I think it was good.
“But you come away, you get a point, you are happy as a coach, not satisfied, happy,” said Luphahla.
