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Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
Dynamos 1-0 FC Platinum
FC PLATINUM coach Lloyd Mutasa came short of blaming referee Ruzive Ruzive of biased officiating after his side fell to a disputed late penalty in a Premiership match played at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.
Ocean Mushure converted from the spot in the 87th minute after FC Platinum defender Gift Bello was adjudged to have fouled Simba Sithole inside the box.
The decision appeared harsh on the visitors as it looked there was nothing amiss when Sithole collapsed under challenge from the former DeMbare defender while trying to latch on to a low cross from the right flank.
Mutasa tried hard to control his emotions as he made an effort to avoid commenting on the contested penalty. He felt FC Platinum were hard done by the referee’s decision and categorically refused to accept that his side had lost the match fairly.
“I think I cannot say much because it might be interpreted in a different way. I can only say we failed to score. I cannot speak on things that we don’t have control over but with this kind of officiating I don’t see us as a nation going forward because it’s like games are won away from the football pitch.
“It’s a pity that we waste a lot of energy and resources working with these youngsters but at the end of the day somebody decides which team is supposed to win. Such is football in Zimbabwe… It’s unfortunate that things turn out as nasty as this. I don’t think fans pay their money to watch this kind of football. It’s a pity,” said Mutasa.
Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa was also not interested in talking about the issue of the penalty and chose to dwell on his team’s shortcomings as they have not been scoring goals in open play of late.
The win, though, was welcome relief to the Glamour Boys who had not managed to pick maximum points in their last three league outings.
“I am just a coach and that’s the name of the game. The fact that we collected three points, it’s well done to the boys. We need to work on our strikeforce, in terms of scoring goals in open play,” said Pasuwa.
The disputed penalty was probably one of the major talking points in the match as both teams struggled throughout the entire match with little goal mouth action at both ends.
Probably the only real chance in the first half was when Mushure unleashed a dipping shot from a freekick but goalkeeper Petros Mhari had a slight touch before the ball crashed against the crossbar.
FC Platinum usually play a passing game but this was not the case yesterday as they could not spread the ball.
It seems they lacked commitment going forward.
Their midfielders Kamusoko, Allen Gahadzikwa and Marshal Mudehwe did not turn up. DeMbare were also below par with their star midfielder Ronald Chitiyo again looking a pale shadow of himself while there was nothing to look forward to from their strikers Washington Pakamisa and Simba Sithole.
Mutasa made two quick substitutions in the 51st minute bringing in Raymond Sibanda and Tarisai Rukanda in place of Njabulo Ncube and Mudehwe but the pair failed to make an impact.
The platinum miners wasted good opportunities from the set pieces they got inside the Dynamos half but Kamusoko nearly got it right in the 53rd minute when he forced a good save from George Chigova.
Kamusoko fired a curling shot which however found the giant goalkeeper alert as Chigova dived to his left and punched the ball out.
Apart from another attempt by Alimenda in the 57th minute when he tried a first time volley which was palmed out by the FC Platinum goalkeeper, it looked like both teams went to sleep in the second half.
DeMbare have their lucky stars to thank after they got the penalty which made the difference.
derick.khumalo