Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
Triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(0)1
CAPS United . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(0)1
CAPS United coach Ian Bakala admits they still have a lot to do to be the mean machine he wants them to become.
This was after seeing his charges drop points in an exciting 1-1 draw at Rufaro yesterday.
The Green Machine, though earning yet another valuable point in their push towards the top half, never neared their billing especially a week after raising expectations with their famous 1-0 win over title contenders Scottland.
This is a team that has blown hot and cold this season in the Premiership, at one point flirting with relegation where they are not far off, as yet.
And yesterday they showed they still have flaws, a lot of them, after trailing for most of the second half to Joel Munsaka’s audacious flick and surviving by the skin of their teeth through a late equaliser from Ishmael Wadi.
They showed nerves, completely contrasting the effective side that they were when defeating Scottland a week earlier.
Triangle, unsafe from relegation at 19 points, knew exactly what they wanted from this encounter and showed it in enormous portions.
First, the lively Tawanda Chatuluka out-sprinted Brian Kadamanja and had the ball in the nets but he was flagged for offside.
Then, the 23-year-old, who was having a game of his life forced a save from CAPS United goalkeeper Stephen Kwaku.
The visitors led in offensive stats, getting four corner kicks inside the opening half-an-hour as the hosts looked bewildered without a corner kick of their own.
Perhaps the reason why Triangle are down the rungs is their bluntness and it was in full display yesterday as they failed to apply the finishing to some great work that was being put together by their experienced duo of Ali Maliselo and captain Thabani Kamusoko.
But they seemed to have attentively listened to coach Genesis Mangombe’s half-time pep-talk with Munsaka audaciously back-heeling a low corner from Chatuluka just three minutes after the resumption.
CAPS United became more desperate and the more they stayed in that state the more they exposed their shortcomings to an opponent that never elected to sit back and close shop.
Chatuluka and substitute Menford Mudzimu dominated the sorry CAPS United rear-guard but they never got to bookmark their brilliance with goals, thanks in part to Kwaku’s solidity between the posts.
Makepekepe did make forays of their own but the clean pass never located their isolated center-forward, Kope Mugalu, who mostly resorted to drifting backwards to get the ball for himself.
The introduction of Jayden Bakari 17 minutes from time helped the Green Machine find their balance in the attacking third and right down the end, Wadi headed in a Kelvin Mangiza free-kick which Triangle goalkeeper Changani failed to deal with.
With the goal giving them the momentum and fourth official Mercy Mayombo adding six minutes of optional time, CAPS United looked ready to pounce giving the match a nail-biting finale.
But somehow, it should have been the guests to get that goal, Mudzimu going low from inside the box only for Kadamanja to stick out his right and save the day for the home side.
Bakala hailed his charges’ fighting spirit, saying, “The game was tough, but I’m just happy that they came back in the second half to equalise, but we still have a lot of work to do looking at what we have done.
“We still have some work to do in the coming games.
“But well, the league is a marathon. We are working one step at a time. We just have to concentrate as we still have so many games to come.
“We need to fight for the points. It’s very difficult at the moment, because I think the teams now — no team is lazy. Every team is fighting for the points, but for us, we just have to concentrate on us.”
Makepekepe are now on 24 points from 20 games.
Mangombe was happy with how his boys applied themselves although taken aback by his goalkeeper’s blunder.
His hope of saving Triangle from the chop is still on and bright.
“You know, in a game of football, it’s always like that. For you to win a game, you need to have maximum concentration to the last second, but seeing the boys playing away like they are playing at home is encouraging,” said Mangombe.
“We created several chances, and also in terms of playing towards philosophy, it was positive. So with that, I think we tried our best and save for that blunder from my goalkeeper who let that ball bounce, I think he should have done better, but we will go back to the drawing board and address those issues, then focus on our next assignment.”
Teams
CAPS United: Stephen Kwaku, Brian Kadamanja, Chitoshi Chinga, Kelvin Mangiza, Hastings Chapusha, Tanaka Shandirwa, Kundai Benyu, Nyasha Chintuli (Jayden Bakari 73min), Phineas Bamusi, Ishmael Wadi, Kope Mu-galu
Triangle: Wilson Changani, Jordan Pedra, Joel Munsaka, Munyaradzi Mawadza, Partson Jaure, Blessing Sarupin-da (Menford Mudzimu 46min), Thabani Kamusoko, Aaron Zeka, Witness Shave (Praise Machengete 76min), Tawanda Chatuluka, Ali Maliselo
