dyton mupawaenda
Bruce Chikuni
GREENFuel wonder kid Washington Mapuwa is proving to be a player for big moments.
He was the difference when Rodwell Dhlakama’s men came from behind to humble Bulawayo Chiefs 2-1 on Saturday.
The 18-year-old, was introduced after the restart and made the most of his chance as he flourished on the wings where he transformed himself into a matchwinner with a brilliantly struck freekick in the 88th minute.
Panashe Shoko fine effort in the 56th minute was enough to put the Ninjas in front but Anelka Chivandire restored parity 18 minutes later.
Mapuwa is turning 19 this year and this is his third season in the top-flight league.
He started his PSL journey with WhaWha where he recorded twice in his debut campaign.
And, with a bit of lucky, he could have won the Castle Lager Premiership Rookie of The Year award which was bagged by Dynamos forward, Elton Chikona.
He was just a vote away from taking home this gong after scoring five times to help his side escape being swept away by relegation waters.
And, his statistics are reflecting that he is growing in size and strength.
The Legends Academy graduate said he is targeting to hit double figures this campaign.
“It was a decent start for us and we knew Chiefs were going to give us a good run because they have more experience than us in the top-flight league.
“We showed fighting spirit, everyone knew the significance of collecting maximum points at home.
“I was really happy to score the winning goal from range and something which I have been practicing and I targeting 10 goals or more this season,” said Mapuwa.
Bulawayo Chiefs coach, Thulani Sibanda, believes the unavailability of some of his players due to paperwork also cost his side.
“We did very well in the first half in terms of build up play. The turning point was when our centre back Xolisani Moyo was forced off with an injury and we had to drop Jackson to centre back and Joe Nyabinde had to take his position as a defensive linkman.
“We have players who are still waiting for clearances and we could not field our full strength squad but I believe we are in the right direction”, said Sibanda.
His counterpart, Dhlakama, was thrilled with his men’s comeback.
“It wasn’t a difficult game for us considering the way we played and chances we created in the first half. We lost concentration in the second half and gave our opponents a soft goal against the run of play.
“We had to chase the game and fortunately Anelka levelled matters with a well taken goal before Mapuwa’s last minute freekick won the game for us.”
Online Reporter