Zimpapers Sports Hub
Scottland’s midweek talk of throwing in the towel may well have been a calculated mind game, as their true ambitions came into sharp focus at Rufaro yesterday, where they ruthlessly outclassed a helpless Herentals 4-0.
Kingsley Mureremba, Knowledge Musona, Kwakhe Thwala and Khama Billiat were all on target.
At Wadzanayi, Hardrock choked on a day they needed just a win to be crowned champions in their debut season. With just two points separating Scottland and Hardrock, Kelvin Kaindu’s side could look back and realise this is where they dropped the ball.
Hardrock, who are chasing a historic league title in their debut top-flight campaign, still have their destiny in their own hands and can secure the championship with victory over FC Platinum.
However, Scottland remain firmly in contention and will be crowned champions if they beat Triangle United at Gibbo and Hardrock fail to collect maximum points against FC Platinum.
But Kaindu still believes.
“The destiny is now in our own hands; we should not look at what is happening elsewhere, so we just have to go back, take a breather and come back for the final hurdle fully focused,” he said.
For Simba Bhora, the fight was more about themselves.
Coach Mandla “Lulu” Mpofu said: “We knew what was at stake and our focus was to ensure that we are not a passage for Hardrock into the championship. Many had written us off; they thought this was an easy assignment for the visitors, but we didn’t buy into that.
“I am impressed with how we fough. We have our own target as a side already building for the next season and our plan worked well. It is a point gained for us, so everything is now firmly in their own hands.”
Hardrock had several opportunities to put the game beyond Simba Bhora, but were let down by poor finishing, with forwards Prince Dube and Washington Navaya particularly wasteful.
Kasongo Boys could have settled the contest inside the opening 10 minutes after creating three clear-cut scoring opportunities, but Navaya and Dube failed to convert.
Simba Bhora, meanwhile, offered limited attacking threat, with teenage forward Cole Tsamba coming closest to breaking the deadlock when his effort was comfortably dealt with by Hardrock goalkeeper Martin Mapisa.
Hardrock continued to push for a winner and introduced Donald Mudadi in search of a breakthrough.
Mudadi missed a glorious opportunity to hand the visitors all three points when he failed to beat First Gandisani in a one-on-one situation.
His disappointing miss proved costly, with Mudadi subsequently substituted as Hardrock were forced to settle for a point.
The result means the championship battle will now be decided on the final day, with Hardrock still holding the advantage, but Scottland ready to capitalise on any slip-up.
For the Kwekwe outfit, the equation is simple — they should just beat FC Platinum and the title is theirs.
At Ngoni, Ngezi Platinum completed mission impossible.
Ngezi secured a third-place finish after edging MWOS 1-0, with Nisbert Muzenda scoring the decisive goal in the second half.
The victory capped a remarkable campaign for Ngezi, who had been tipped as relegation candidates after losing nine senior players and members of their technical team, including head coach Takesure Chiragwi, amid a FIFA transfer ban that prevented the club from signing players for the season.
“A lot of people doubted us and doubted the club as a whole to compete like this, but we did our homework and worked very hard from the first day until today,” said Ngezi coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva.
At Barbourfields, Chicken Inn beat Agama 3-1 with a spirited second-half performance underlining their attacking quality.
The Gamecocks appeared to have the contest under control after taking a 1-0 half-time lead through Kankonde Tshisungu’s penalty, but Agama briefly threatened to upset the hosts before Chicken Inn turned on the style.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 45th minute when Michael Charamba won a penalty.
Tshisungu stepped up and converted to give Chicken Inn a 1-0 advantage at the interval.
A downpour during half-time did little to disrupt the contest, with both teams returning for the second half.
Agama emerged with renewed determination and were rewarded in the 56th minute when Siphelelo Philisi produced a moment of brilliance, curling a superb free-kick into the net to make it 1-1.
Junior Makunike restored the hosts’ advantage with a beauty, unleashing a powerful low effort into the back of the net to put the GameCocks 2-1 ahead.
The goal shifted the momentum firmly in Chicken Inn’s favour and Agama struggled to contain the hosts.
In the 76th minute, Man Ykre Hapmo extended the advantage to 3-1, putting the result beyond doubt and rewarding Chicken Inn’s improved second-half display.
The result was good news for Bulawayo Chiefs as their 2-0 win over FC Hunters meant they survived relegation with a game to go.
At Mandava, FC Platinum dismissed Sugar Sugar boys.
FC Platinum continued their strong showing in the second half of the season when they dismissed Triangle 4-3 yesterday, while ZPC Kariba were left in the mud when they were edged 1-0 by CAPS United at Nyamhunga.
