Chicken Inn grab first ever win over Byo City

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
Chicken Inn 1-0 Bulawayo City

A FIRST half goal by Innocent Mucheneka powered Chicken Inn to their first ever Castle Lager Premier Soccer League win over Bulawayo City during a match played at Luveve Stadium yesterday.

City, who are in their second Premiership year, beat Chicken Inn home and away last season and edged their cross town rivals 2-1 in the first leg of the 2017 season.

The 2015 Premiership champions, however, secured maximum points courtesy of a 12th minute goal by Mucheneka, who hit the target after getting to the end of a cutback from Clemence Matawu.

The victory took Chicken Inn’s points tally to 35, two behind log leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars, who battered Hwange 4-1 at Baobab Stadium.

Chicken Inn are now third on the table, tied on 35 points with second-placed FC Platinum, who they face next weekend in Zvishavane. Yesterday’s victory gave Chicken Inn coach Rahman Gumbo reason to believe that they can challenge for the title.

“Obviously this win keeps us within the leading group and we would like to stay there because at this stage of the season, you can’t afford to slip up if you’re to remain in the championship race. Local derbies are always a problem and the game was up to the players to decide. I’m happy with how my players fought for the points against a Bulawayo City side which had been our bogey team. They tried to throw everything at us in the second half, but we managed to hold on to our lead,” said Gumbo.

The clash lived up to the derby billing, with both sets of players giving their all, as they fought for every ball.

City were unlucky not to equalise two minutes after Chicken Inn’s goal as the upright came to the former champions’ rescue to deny Clive Rupiya a goal off a Zephaniah Ngodzo cross from the right. The rebound fell to City’s best player of the day Ishmael Wadi, but the attacking midfielder, who is on loan from FC Platinum, failed to direct his effort on target.

City had another chance to equalise in the 26th minute, but Rupiya chose to be selfish and took a weak shot at Chicken Inn’s goal instead of passing the ball to a better placed Wadi, who was facing goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze.

Chicken Inn defender Guide Goddard had a 31st minute long-range effort pushed over for a corner by City goalkeeper Liberty Chirava. The City keeper pulled another great save in the 66th minute by pushing out a Collins Dhuwa snapshot that was heading for the bottom corner.

Mucheneka fluffed a glorious opportunity to complete a double in the 73rd minute by failing to beat a drawn out Chirava after being set through by Obidiah Tarumbwa off a counterattack.

Mandla Mpofu, the City gaffer, said they were lucky to lose by a goal and felt the chances they blew away in the first half had a bearing on the result.

“I’m disappointed to lose. We were sloppy in the first half and we also failed to turn the chances we had in the opening half. I think Rupiya was selfish in another one (referring to the 26th minute attempt). I think we showed lots of improvement in the last 15 minutes of the game after bringing in Heritein Masuku and Newman Sianchali for Trevor Ndlovu and Rupiya. The punch that the substitute brought in came too late,” said Mpofu.

City are in 13th position on the league table with 21 points; four points ahead of 15th placed Hwange, who occupy the last relegation spot. Mpofu said their focus is on improving for their next encounter.

Teams
Chicken Inn: Elvis Chipezeze, Passmore Bernard, Divine Lunga, Moses Jackson, Guide goddard, Clemence Matawu, Chris Samakweri, Thabani Goredema (Brian Juru, 50th minute), Innocent Mucheneka, Obidiah Tarumbwa (Blessing Sibanda, 89th minute), Darryl Nyandoro (Collins Dhuwa, 55th minute).

Bulawayo City: Liberty Chirava, Zephaniah Ngodzo, Munyaradzi Mungadze, Nyasha Mukumbi, Zibusiso Sibanda, Rainsome Pavari, Innocent Kutsanzira, Ishmael Wadi, Mkhululi Moyo, Clive Rupiya (Newman Sianchali, 67th minute), Trevor Ndlovu (Heritein Masuku, 67th minute)

Results

Saturday: Bantu Rovers 0-1 FC Platinum, Tsholotsho FC 1-1 How Mine, ZPC Kariba 0-0 Yadah FC, Harare City 3-2 Caps United (Rufaro).

Yesterday: Shabanie Mine 0-2 Highlanders, Dynamos 2-1 Triangle United, Chicken Inn 1-0 Bulawayo City, Chapungu 3-0 Black Rhinos, Ngezi Platinum 4-1 Hwange

Table
P    W    D    L    F    A    GD    Pts
Ngezi Platinum    19    11    4    4    33    18    15    37
FC Platinum    18    9    8    1    18    8    10    35
Chicken Inn    18    11    2    5    17    7    10    35
*Dynamos    17    10    3    4    25    16    9    33
How Mine    19    9    6    4    15    12    3    33
Black Rhinos    18    9    4    5    23    14    9    31
Highlanders    18    9    4    5    20    15    5    31
ZPC Kariba    19    8    5    6    19    16    3    29
Triangle United    19    6    7    6    18    19    -1    25
*Chapungu    18    6    6    6    13    13    0    24
Shabanie Mine    19    5    7    7    13    16    -3    22
Harare City    19    5    6    8    13    14    -1    21
Bulawayo City    18    6    3    9    18    22    -4    21
Yadah FC    19    5    5    9    15    22    -7    20
Hwange    19    4    5    9    15    24    -9    17
Caps United    12    3    5    4    16    13    3    14
Bantu Rovers    19    2    3    14    18    39    -21    9
Tsholotsho FC    19    0    7    12    9    30    -21    7

*match abandoned

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