Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS Football Club are where they want to be – at the top of the table but their coach Baltemar Brito is in awe at Ngezi Platinum Stars’ consistency which he believes indicates they’re strong championship contenders.
Bosso dislodged Caps United who lost the Harare derby against Dynamos 2-0 from the summit, winning their encounter against Hwange 1-0 at Barbourfields Stadium.
Going into the weekend games, Highlanders were second on the table with 11 points, a point behind Caps United and Brito said they desired going on top.
The hard-fought victory against Hwange, came through a late lucky goal by Washington Navaya to take their points tally to 14, one ahead of Ngezi Platinum Stars who were the weekend’s biggest scoring winners.
Ngezi Platinum Stars clobbered ZPC Kariba 5-1 at Baobab Stadium, taking an unbeaten run in the league which dates back to last season to 17 matches.
Ngezi Platinum Stars’ last defeat was on August 13 when they lost 1-0 away at Cranborne Bullets.
In their last seven games played this season, Ngezi Platinum Stars had a slow beginning as they drew four consecutive matches before taking a turn on Matchday 5 when they edged Manica Diamonds 1-0.
Since then, they’ve won two more matches beating Greenfuel 3-2 and the latest 5-1 drubbing of ZPC Kariba.
The platinum miners are hot on the heels of Bosso who are unbeaten in six 2023 Castle Lager Premiership games.
Highlanders have won four games – identical 1-0 victories against Black Rhinos and Hwange, FC Platinum (2-1) and Yadah (2-0). Bosso drew 0-0 against ZPC Kariba and Chicken Inn.
Despite their perfect start, Brito has marveled at the work done by Ngezi Platinum Stars who are coached by Takesure Chiragwi.
Ngezi Platinum Stars are the first team to win three consecutive matches this season.
“I want to congratulate Ngezi Platinum Stars. They have been consistent, they finished last season strongly and they have started well which shows they’re title contenders,” said Brito.
A brace by Walter Vuwa, goal apiece from Nigel Makumbe, Takunda Benhura and Lelie Kashitugu sunk ZPC Kariba into relegation zone as they have lost three consecutive games.
Unbeaten
Highlanders and Ngezi Platinum Stars are part of the three teams that are yet to lose this season, with the other being Chicken Inn who drew 1-1 with Triangle United.
Chicken Inn drew their fifth consecutive game when they surrendered a 1-0 lead at Triangle United to share the spoils.
Winless
Armyside Cranborne Bullets is the only team yet to register a win this season. Cranborne Bullets suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Sheasham and remained rooted at the bottom of the table with two points. They’ve lost five and played to two draws.
First
Caps United suffered their first defeat of the season when they lost 2-0 to archrival Dynamos who got their goals from Donald Mudadi and Jayden Bakare. It was the first goal of the season for former Whawha striker Bakare who joined DeMbare this year.
Manica Diamonds’ striker Fortune Binzi scored the first hattrick of the season when his side clobbered Black Rhinos 4-0.
Binzi has now scored five goals in two games as he struck a brace last weekend when Manica Diamonds beat ZPC Kariba 3-0. Binzi is the league’s top scorer with five goals.
Newly promoted Sheasham FC and Greenfuel registered their first league victories. Greenfuel, the first club to fire a coach this season due to a string of poor results, saw Rodwell Dhlakama starting his job with a 1-0 victory against Simba Bhora.
Washington Mabuya got the goal that gave Greenfuel their first maximum points in the topflight.
Goals by McDonald Mavuto and Phsywell Madhazi powered Sheasham to a 2-1 win against Cranborne Bullets.
Red cards
Innocent Zambezi of Caps United was the only player expelled in a match this weekend, getting his marching orders in 63rd minute of the Harare derby 2-0 loss to Dynamos.
Zambezi became the seventh player to be shown a red card. Eight red cards, including Zambezi’s have been shown to players in the last seven rounds of games.
Chicken Inn’s Tafadzwa Kutinyu has two red cards, with Thulani Joseph of Caps United, Triangle United’s Joe Nyabinde, Arnold Mukuli (Greenfuel), Kudzai Chikwindi (Ngezi Platinum Stars) and Bulawayo Chiefs goalkeeper Issah Ali being other footballers who have expelled this season.
Results
Friday: Simba Bhora 0-1 Greenfuel
Saturday: Bulawayo Chiefs 2-1 Yadah, Manica Diamonds 4-0 Black Rhinos, Ngezi Platinum Stars 5-1 ZPC Kariba
Sunday: Highlanders 1-0 Hwange, Dynamos 2-0 Caps United, Triangle United 1-1 Chicken Inn, Cranborne Bullets 1-2 Sheasham.
– @ZililoR
Online Reporter