Chronicle Editor
Tobias Mandoreba in Hwange
Hwange 3- 0 Bantu Rovers
A FIRED up Hwange FC blew away Bantu Rovers in a one-sided Castle Lager Premiership match played at the Colliery Stadium yesterday.
Goals from impressive new signing Delic Murimba, speedy striker Justine Kaunda and Crybert Muvuti pacified the hearts of Hwange fans following last Sunday’s narrow loss to FC Platinum at the same venue.
Bantu Rovers must count themselves lucky not to have conceded a rugby score line, as Hwange wasted a glut of clear cut goal scoring chances, especially in the opening half. Murimba and Kaunda were the main culprits.
The signs of doom were clear for the visitors as early as the second minute when Hwange hit the back of the nets through Kaunda, but his effort was ruled offside by second assistant referee, Venacio Zulu.
There was no denying coach Bigboy Mawiwi’s charges on the quarter hour mark when man of the match Murimba opened the scoring after latching onto a sitter from Nathan Ziwini before outpacing the entire Bantu rearguard and cleverly lobbing the ball over an outdrawn Elton Sibanda in goals for Rovers.
The miners then camped in their opponents’ half and launched incessant raids but Murimba and Kaunda took turns to miss. Sibanda, however, did his best to keep the score line respectable.
On the stroke of half time, Kaunda hammered home the second goal from close range after being released by Murimba.
Five minutes after the breather, midfielder Nomore Chinyerere blasted his effort way over the bar, with a yawning net in front of him as the tale of missed chances continued.
Rovers tried in vain to salvage something from the contest through the exploits of veteran Nigel Papias, but all his efforts wilted under the blazing Hwange heat, as he was virtually fighting a lone battle.
Muvuti hammered the final nail onto the Rovers coffin nine minutes before full time by stabbing home a rebound from close range.
Murimba waltzed his way past a cluster of defenders on the left flank and laid a sitter for Rivaldo Chuma, whose left-footed volley crashed against the upright and Muvuti had the easiest task of slotting home.
Mawiwi was happy with the win but bemoaned the wasted chances.
“I am happy for the vital three points, but I’m not happy with the number of chances we failed to convert. Goals are important as we go forward and I hope to maintain the same rhythm in the next game,” said Mawiwi.
His opposite number Methembe Ndlovu said: “I am not ashamed of my team’s performance, as we played well despite the loss. We will live to fight another day and I am sure soon we will find the right formula.”
Teams
Hwange: T Mvula; C Phiri; C Dickson; G Ndlovu; M Mekiwa; A Chuma; S Gadzikwa (R Chuma 77th min); N Ziwini; D Murimba; J Kaunda; N Chinyerere
Bantu Rovers: E Sibanda; G Bharibhari; S Nyahwa; L Ncube; D Ndlovu (N Garayi 19th min); T Khumbuyani; P Ziwengwa; M Chitambwe (M Ncube 46th min); M Dube; R Masuku (B Ncube 65th min); N Papias. — @tobymandox
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