Tadious Manyepo Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE last five minutes of the supercharged Premiership tie between leaders Hardrock and MWOS at Chahwanda on Sunday should have been the longest for the former this season.
Midfielder Munashe Bamara completed a stunning comeback 3-2 victory for Hardrock in the 89th minute but with the fourth official adding five more minutes to the feisty encounter, it meant an intense finale especially for them as they needed to squeeze those points.
The final whistle was then greeted with wild cheers from the stands with “Kasongo” players rushing to join in the celebrations.
One by one, the players danced in front of the home fans who have stood with the team through thick and thin even when Hardrock were behind the pace by as many as nine points.
It is them who are now eight points clear at the top and are only two wins away from winning the top-flight title in only their first season in the Premiership.
They just need to be a bit streetwise in the next 180 minutes and pip holders Scottland to the championship.
But as the players partied with the fans providing the soundtrack, there was some marked indifference on the faces of Bamara and leading Premier Soccer League scorer Washington Navaya.
Not that they were not as happy as their peers but they were not just at ease with the whole outlook.
As well as clipping an important result on the Chahwanda wall that could go a long way in helping them win their first Premiership glories, they were a bit taken aback after learning of the fall of their former teams.
Triangle, a team that gave Bamara the status he carries up to now, had just beaten Simba Bhora 2-0 at Gibbo but that was not enough to save them from relegation.
At Wadzanayi in Shamva, TelOne, who finished fifth last season with one of their leading players Navaya voted the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Soccer Star of the Year, were also bidding the league farewell after losing 3-2 to Agama.
“It’s a mixture of feelings on my part,” said Navaya.
“TelOne is my beloved team and the news which is just filtering disappointing.
“I thought they would fight and maybe get to survive even with the skin of their teeth.
“Such is football but I am really pained. That’s why you are seeing me a bit indifferent.
“But as an individual I am very excited with the way we have done our business especially this massive win against MWOS in extraordinary fashion.
“The match against MWOS was very difficult considering that we had to rally from 2-0 down. But I would like to thank our fans for their unwavering support and the players for the resilience.
“It’s now entirely up to us as players to fight and get those last two wins in.”
For Bamara, who like Navaya, joined Hardrock upon their promotion into the PSL early this year, seeing Triangle dropping was painful.
“I feel for them, I really do feel for them,” said Bamara.
“Triangle is the team that made my name, they are the ones who made me known.
“I always wished them well and even as I left to be with Hardrock, I wished them well.
“And to see them getting down makes me very sad.
“But I have the consolation of winning this game and the possibility of winning the league championship as well.
“That will be my first time winning the league title but we know we should focus in the last two games.”
As Navaya and Bamara stood side by side, it was apparent they were both excited and disappointed in equal measure.
