adminTobias Mandoreba Hwange Correspondent
Hwange 3-0 Shabanie Mine
THE coal embers continued glowing brightly as Hwange produced a dazzling second half performance to break Shabanie Mine’s resilience in a cracker of a match played at the Colliery stadium yesterday. Shabanie were resolute and stubborn only to crumble like a deck of cards in a four– minute spell midway through the second half to concede two quick goals which completely deflated them.
Their Hwange-born goalkeeper London Zulu had kept the visitors in the game with some spectacular saves before Evans Rusike broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute when he latched on to a clever pass by Alec Marime before unleashing a stinger which gave Zulu no chance whatsoever.
Marime had come to the end of a lovely run by speedy midfielder Tafara Chese.
Moments before Rusike’s opener, Hwange’s Marime had his goal disallowed by the heavily built referee Mlindeli Ndebele for a push on a Shabanie defender before he pulled the trigger.
Ndebele had a firm hand on the game the entire afternoon. With Shabanie Mine still wondering what had hit them, the coalminers added another one four minutes later when substitute Gilbert Zulu rose high to connect a perfect cross from young right back Phakamani Dube who was fielded in place of national team defender Eric Chipeta.
With the visitors trying to fight back to pull the game out of the fire through some donkey work led by midfield maestro Daniel Chakupe, it was Hwange who got the opportunity to drive the final nail into their coffin two minutes from time through a marvelous goal by Chese to spice up his memorable performance.
Some quick exchanges of passes between Rodwell Chinyengetere and Zulu in the middle of the park saw the latter cleverly flicking the ball for the on rushing Chese who used his pace to outrun the entire Shabanie defence, rounded up the outdrawn goalkeeper Zulu before blasting into an empty net leaving the drum-beating home fans on cloud nine.
Away from the second half slumber, Shabanie produced a determined opening half performance in which their midfield had a slight edge over their adversaries only to be let down by the final pass.
Hwange had a glorious opportunity to open the score sheet on the quarter hour mark after the lanky Marime broke loose on the right flank before laying a sitter for Rusike who miscued his effort from some few metres out.
Chakupe then took control of the midfield like a general in a camp but the beneficiary of most of his passes Marvellous Dikinya let him down with some rushed efforts at goal.
Then came Shabanie goalminder Zulu’s show in between the posts when he prevented an avalanche of Hwange goals starting in the 25th minute when he acrobatically went airborne to tip a ferocious Chinyengetere free kick for a corner.
Five minutes later Marime thought he had got the breakthrough when he unleashed a hard and low volley which was again pushed out by Zulu for another corner.
On the hour mark Marime was up in the air already celebrating his cheeky effort only for Zulu to again stun everyone in the stadium as he summoned all his reflexes to smother the effort. The hosts kept pressing until the breakthrough which came 18 minutes from time.
Hwange goalkeeper’s coach Chenjerayi Dube praised his lads for a good show in the second half.
John Phiri, the Shabanie head coach blasted his boys for sleeping on duty during the last half.
Hwange: T Mawaya; P Dube; M Mungadze; G Ndlovu; M Mpofu; C Muleya; T Chese; R Chinyengetere; A Marime(P Mpelele 86th min); E Rusike; F Vimisai(G Zulu 70th min)
Shabanie Mine: L Zulu; G Murwira; N Meson; S Muchabaiwa; R Mware; D Sibanda; M Dikinya(N Hunga 79th min); E Tsoro(S Domingo 53th min); D Chakupe; C Mesi( M Mageja 68th min); A Mukwenya.
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