adminHOSTS Chicken Inn were taught a crude lesson for the second time this season that a football match is won by scoring goals after they were held to a “painful’’ draw by determined army side Buffaloes in an exciting Castle Lager Premier Soccer League encounter at Luveve yesterday.
A few weeks back, Chicken Inn led Monomotapa by 2-0 at the break before the visitors turned on the power in the second half and won 3-2.
After starting the match at a blistering pace and finding the target as early as the seventh minute through wasteful Marshal Marima before leading scorer in the country Tendai Ndoro scored his seventh goal of the campaign three minutes after the breather, the Gamecocks still had the luxury of letting the game slip away from them.
Even the visitors’ coach Saul Chaminuka had some piece of advice to the Bulawayo side after the match.
“It’s a crude lesson to Chicken Inn that if you don’t utilise your chances you get punished and this is what has happened to them. They had a one on one situation with our goalkeeper when we had a defender down injured but failed to bury the chance. I mean they could have been 3-0 up and that would have made life so difficult for us,” said Chaminuka.
With the match seemingly wrapped up and on course to another victory, Chicken Inn’s world collapsed in the 79th minute when Thabani Goredema was forced out due to an injury and all hell broke loose for the home side as the likes of Cabby Kamhapa and the usually dependable Danny Phiri were failed to stamp authority in midfield.
Buffaloes suddenly found themselves in total control and sensing that maybe they might get a consolation goal after all. Skipper Prosper Matizanadzo, Wonder Sithole, Steven Sibanda and Jacob Muzokomba were now a constant threat to the home team defence of captain Felix Chindungwe, Guide Goddard and Moses Jackson and it was during one of their raids in the box that a goal came.
In a desperate bid to clear a ball fumbled by goalkeeper Njabulo Nyoni, Chindungwe went with two open feet on an about to shoot Sithole and referee Hardly Ndazi pointed to the spot. Up-stepped Steven whose first time kick went in but Ndazi ordered a re-take. He still found the target from the rebound.
After the goal, there was more panic on the part of the home team as they could barely exchange two complete passes while Buffaloes kept on charging, probably sensing another goal.
Four minutes before time, the equaliser came and what a beauty it was from Muzokomba who unleashed a grounder from just outside the box that beat a diving Nyoni .
There is no taking away the beauty of Chicken Inn’s goals despite the final result. “This is what happens when you miss your chances, we are creating them but we just can’t bury those chances,” said Chicken Inn assistant coach Julius Ndlovu.
Chaminuka, who was starring a fourth straight defeat, praised his charges for their fighting spirit.
“With a bit of luck, we could as well have won this match,” he said.
Teams:
Chicken Inn: N Nyoni, M Jackson, G Goddard, F Chindungwe, B Mbiriri, D Phiri, T Goredema (M Ncube 79th min), C Kamhapa, K Mahachi, M Marima (M Dube 68th min), T Ndoro
Buffaloes: H Bere, N Musvipa, F Banda, T Ndlovu, P Chandisaita, P
Matizanadzo, W Sithole, P Tembani (A Dzumbunu 63rd min), M Mageja R Mwenga 66th min), S Sibanda, J Muzokomba.
Online Reporter