Online Reporter
Oscar Rusenga in Chisumbanje, Manica Diamonds 0-0 Hardrock
MANICA Diamonds turned up late, skipped the warm-up, and still looked the better side, but couldn’t turn control into goals in a goalless draw against Hardrock at Greenfuel Arena yesterday.
This was a team coming off a week of industrial action, a squad that only travelled on matchday and arrived after the scheduled 3pm kick-off. The game started 30 minutes late. No rhythm, no preparation, no excuses. Yet for long stretches, Manica played like a side with none of that baggage.
They started fast.
Charles Teguru was a problem down the left from the first whistle. Direct, sharp, always asking questions. He won a free-kick in a dangerous area early on, but Anelka Chivandire sent his effort over in the 13th minute.
That set the tone. Manica were on the front foot, moving the ball with purpose, finding space, stretching Hardrock.
In the 23rd minute, they should have led. Teguru again sparked it, linking up well before Fortune Binzi dragged his effort just over the bar. It summed up their afternoon, good build-up, no finish.
In midfield, Polyester Shoko ran the game. Calm, composed, always available. He slowed it down when needed, sped it up when there was space. Hardrock struggled to get close.
Russel Kahiki nearly produced the moment of the match on 28 minutes, meeting another Teguru pass with a thunderous strike that flew just over.
Hardrock barely got going in the first half. Their one real chance came five minutes before the break, and it needed a big save. Geoffrey Chitsumba stood tall to deny Tinotenda Muringai after a fierce strike, keeping it level at the break.
The second half dipped.
Manica’s early intensity faded, not surprising given the build-up. The legs went. The tempo dropped. The control was still there, but the sharpness wasn’t.
They still had a chance to steal it. Shoko pushed forward in the 50th minute and struck it well on the volley, but it wouldn’t dip in time to trouble Tonderai Mateyaunga.
Hardrock, for all their struggles, will take the point and move on. Their coach Kelvin Kaindu didn’t hide his frustration.
“It was a very difficult game, we focused more about what was going on with our opponents through social media. That affected our play mentally and psychologically, we just didn’t come to the party.
“We played against a team that just came to fulfil the fixture. They would go down, delay, but if we had played a team that was forceful today we could have lost. We could have done better, but we take a point away from home with the way we played today,” said Kaindu.
Manica coach Kifton Kadurira saw something else, a team that can still respond despite everything around them.
“I am happy with the performance from the guys. I don’t want to comment much on the administrative side of the club because my duty is on the field of play. I just hope that the transition goes smoothly so that we can pull in the same direction to achieve our set goals.”
