Luphahla rues FC Platinum’s defensive lapses

Onward Gangata at Mandava Stadium

FC PLATINUM’S early-season wobble deepened on Saturday after they twice surrendered the lead and settled for a 2-2 draw against TelOne, a result that left coach Joel Luphahla openly frustrated and already searching for answers.

This was a match the former champions needed to close out. Instead, it exposed the same problem that has crept into their opening weeks: an inability to protect leads and see games through at home.

The Platinum started with purpose and looked in control when Tadiwa Muchenje opened the scoring with a clean long-range strike, the kind that usually settles a side. But that control faded quickly. Bruno Mtigo slipped in to level matters inside 17 minutes, punishing a lapse that Luphahla will not be able to ignore.

Garikayi Dematsika restored the lead just before the break, finishing off a strong first half in which Platinum had done enough to suggest they would push on. They did not.

TelOne returned with more urgency and pinned the hosts back for long stretches of the second-half. The pressure kept building and eventually told. Substitute Blessing Matebeck rose highest to head in the equaliser seven minutes from time, completing a comeback that had been coming.

For Luphahla, the performance cut deeper than the result.

“We are disappointed as a team. For me as the leader of the team, I’m very disappointed,” he said.

“We scored twice but failed to defend. We cannot play like that at home. We even had the chance to finish the game, but we wasted it, and when you play like that, it becomes difficult.”

Four matches into the season, FC Platinum have just five points, a return that sits well below expectations for a side used to setting the pace.

“After four games, we have five points, which is not good for a team like FC Platinum. We are under pressure as a team, but I take full responsibility for the results. I have to fix it,” Luphahla said.

TelOne will take more encouragement from the afternoon, even if they are still searching for their first win. There was resilience in their response and a clear sense of belief, especially in the second half when they took control of the contest.

Coach Herbert Maruwa saw enough to suggest progress. “I am happy with the point away from home, it is good to get a draw against a side like FC Platinum,” he said.

“The fighting spirit was there. It shows we are moving in the right direction and even the way we got the goals came from hard work.”