Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CASTLE LAGER Premier Soccer League (PSL) log leaders MWOS may have not been in action at Rufaro yesterday, but their name reverberated loud and clear as TelOne upstaged the fancied Scottland and in the process leapfrogged them into third place.
This is because the scorer of the goal that made all the difference in this 1-0 triumph for TelOne, their third on the road this season, was Panashe Mutasa, who is the son of MWOS gaffer, Lloyd Mutasa.
Panashe struck in the 48th minute off a volley.
But beyond the priceless points that Panashe’s goal earned TelOne, the WiFi Boys’ victory must have been greeted with extra celebration in Norton given the refreshing rivalry that has emerged between MWOS and Scottland, which was brewed when the two sides were fighting for the Northern Region Soccer League championship last year.
MWOS are only in action this afternoon when they visit Ngezi Platinum Stars at Baobab.
TelOne coach Herbert “Jompano’’ Maruwa, whose rebuilding exercise at the Gweru outfit has shown so much promise this term, described the victory as “a sweet one’’.
With the triumph, TelOne took their points tally to 28, one above Scottland, who have played a game less as their abandoned match against Chicken Inn was subject of a PSL disciplinary committee hearing in
For Maruwa, seeing his charges execute their plan to perfection in a hard-fought win was what mattered most.
“Our game plan worked well. We had discussed how we would approach the fixture and I am happy that the boys stuck to the plan, which makes the victory just sweet,” said Maruwa.
“I told the boys to play with caution and clear the lines without faltering because we knew that Scottland would punish us for any slight blunder.
“The boys went out there and just enjoyed the game . . . I am happy they did not feel intimidated, so going into the mid-season break, we have something to build on.”
Maruwa deployed his trusted 4-4-2 formation, which had veterans Tawanda Macheke and current Premiership joint top goalscorer Washington Navaya upfront.
Mutasa, who ironically has been a bit part player for TelOne, featured in an attacking midfield role.
It was his third successive start in 13 matches for TelOne so far and his strike yesterday must have felt like a cup final winner.
He has netted two goals in the past three games, helping the team to an identical 1-0 victory over GreenFuel that ended the Chisumbanje outfit’s long-running unbeaten home record.
Scottland coach Tonderai Ndiraya gave credit to TelOne for giving his team a stern test.
“We lost the game, but I feel that today we played very well, it was not an easy game, a real test if I may say,” said Ndiraya.
“On the goal that we conceded, I actually give credit to Mutasa because I saw nothing wrong on what Chadya did; it was a simply well-taken shot.
“We returned from a midweek fixture in Chisumbanje, and there was barely enough recovery time, so now we use the week to recover and build on.’’
The contest was an evenly balanced affair in the opening stanza.
In the 16th minute, the visitors’ Nigel Makumbe decided to test his former teammate Nelson Chadya from outside the box, but the ex-Ngezi Platinum Stars forward saw his effort sail over the cross bar.
Scottland’s Panashe Mutimbanyoka then took the centre stage, after 25 minutes, beating the TelOne defence and their towering goalkeeper Criss Mverechena, but his low effort just went inches wide of the post.
Makumbe thought he had got it right in the 39th minute, only for an alert Chadya to tip his effort over.
Chadya also came to Scottland’s rescue when he denied Macheke from a one-on-one situation shortly before the breather.
Students earn point, Gem Boys’woes continue
Nyamhunga Stadium in Kariba is a venue where many teams have gone and returned empty-handed.
It is against this background that Herentals College coach Paul Benza will probably welcome the key point from a 0-0 draw with ZPC Kariba.
ZPC Kariba, who have the Premiership’s best defence, rarely give out anything when playing before their home fans in the resort town.
While Herentals emerged with a point on the road, Manica Diamonds’ woes continued after under-fire coach Jairos Tapera slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Bikita Minerals at Gibbo.
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