adminHarare Bureau Harare City 0-1 Buffaloes
EVEN the presence of Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni could not inspire Harare City to their first victory as they succumbed to their fifth league defeat at the hands of Buffaloes yesterday at Rufaro. The Sunshine Boys, who last season came close to lifting the league trophy before they were pipped by Dynamos, are now a pale shadow of that team.
They are yet to win a match in 450 minutes of league action. In the opening match they lost 0-3 to Chicken Inn and went on to lose 1-2 to CAPS United. City found the going tough again against ZPC Kariba and were edged 0-1 while last weekend they were beaten 1-3 by Dynamos.
Yesterday, Manyenyeni who is also the patron of the team, came to watch the team in action at their home ground.
Manyenyeni said he always tries to attend and cheer the players on when time is permitting and rallied behind the team which he believes is playing well and will soon start getting good results.
But a 30-metre long range strike from Buffaloes midfielder and former Shabanie skipper Tafadzwa Mombeshora condemned the hosts to another defeat. The goal was really heartbreaking for the Sunshine Boys as their goalkeeper Muzondiwa Gonese was caught napping on the line and the instant goal wheezed into the nets.
Harare City tried all they could do but missed some clear cut chances to force an equaliser leaving coach Bigboy Mawiwi to blame some forces outside the football pitch.
“It is not about the performance in the football pitch but unfortunately I cannot divulge much.
“The youngsters are doing everything and at training they are scoring brilliant goals but they got chances and even failed to score in an empty net.
“Even the body language shows they are committed. It is just a matter of time and things would be fine,” he said.
The coach who will travel to Zvishavane to face FC Platinum said he is not under pressure as his team continues with their losing streak.
“I am a coach and losing and winning is part of the game. Whether you are on top or bottom of the log there is always pressure but it is not the end of season yet and that’s where it matters.
“We are playing FC Platinum and we are positive going into that match,” said Mawiwi.
Buffaloes coach Luke Masomere said the victory was a huge morale booster going into the weekend’s match against Dynamos.
Meanwhile, ZPC Kariba continued with their unbeaten run when they held FC Platinum who dictated the pace in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Gwanzura yesterday.
The Saul Chaminuka side showed signs of fatigue but managed to keep FC Platinum at bay throughout the 90 minutes of play in a game that was watched by Triangle players who will play CAPS United at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon.
FC Platinum came into the game with their heads high after dismissing CAPS United 2-1 at Mandava last week but found ZPC Kariba who managed a 0-0 draw away to Buffaloes last week well prepared.
The two sides failed to threaten as they played cautiously in the opening exchanges with FC Platinum dictating the pace through their skipper Thabani Kamusoko.
The referee had to show Quard Amini and Pride Tafirenyika yellow cards in the 15th and 27 minutes for foul play.
The best chance of the opening half fell to Donald Ngoma who found space after a through pass from Wisdom Mutasa but his effort hit the upright with ZPC Kariba goalkeeper Tendai Hove a well beaten man.
The Platinum miners continued to threaten and it was Wisdom Mutasa’s time to miss a glorious opportunity after he took his time to shoot at goal after ZPC Kariba were caught flat footed.
The second half was a tale of missed chances with FC Platinum introducing Tarisai Rukanda for Stephen Sibanda in the 59th minute which saw ZPC Kariba going under pressure.
Lloyd Mutasa, the FC Platinum coach who had seen an opportunity to win the game, had a double substitution when he introduced Allen Gahadzikwa for Wisdom and Nelson Maziwisa for Ngoma in the 67th minute.
The substitution was effective as the platinum miners went on to hit the post twice in succession with Mitchell Katsvairo attempting a long range shot which hit the upright and the rebound was met by Rukanda whose header also hit the upright allowing ZPC Kariba to clear their lines.
Chaminuka blamed the lack of offensive play to fatigue and believes the result is good for them and they will continue to work hard.
The FC Platinum coach said this was their first game not to score so they are going back to the drawing board and ensure they fight for maximum points in the next encounter.
Online Reporter