Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CHICKEN INN came into yesterday’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League assignment at Barbourfields carrying the weight of a reunion story around coach Tonderai Ndiraya.
They left with something else — a reminder of the gap that still exists between a team trying to settle and one packed with players who know how to control big moments.
At Rufaro, Herentals posted their biggest win against a former champion when humiliating 2024 kings Simba Bhora with a thumping 4-1 win.
Simba Bhora had been on a resurgence, but all that came to naught against the fired-up Students.
Elsewhere in Shamva, ZPC Kariba, who are fast becoming draw specialists held AGAMA 1-1 at Wadzanai.
Scottland prove too strong for Gamecocks
Scottland were simply the better side in this Castle Lager Premier Soccer League duel and their 2-0 victory was not built on chaos or luck.
It came through control, movement and the quality of players who looked comfortable from the first whistle.
Knowledge Musona and his younger brother Walter were at the centre of it, but this felt bigger than two names on a scoresheet.
Scottland walked onto the pitch looking like a team that knew exactly what they wanted to do.
They pinned the Gamecocks back early, won three quick corners and spent long spells camped inside the hosts’ half.
Chicken Inn never really settled.
The breakthrough arrived in the 22nd minute and it carried the quality expected from Knowledge Musona.
Moses Shidolo did the hard work with a clever cutback before the former Warriors captain calmly picked his spot.
He almost had another, moments later, only for Chicken Inn goalkeeper Taimon Mvula to rescue his side with a series of saves that briefly kept them breathing.
Scottland kept coming.
Khama Billiat dictated the tempo, while Walter Musona and Panashe Mutimbanyoka kept pulling Chicken Inn apart down the channels.
Every attack seemed to ask another question of a defence that never looked comfortable. The second goal in the 60th minute felt inevitable.
Walter Musona applied the finish after another flowing move and by then Chicken Inn were already looking stretched.
Scottland nearly added a third when Thwala Kwakhe rattled the crossbar with a powerful strike as the visitors continued to pour forward.
“As a team, I think we started well. We created a lot of chances,” said Scottland coach Norman Mapeza, whose side next face CAPS United.
Ndiraya had little reason to argue with what had unfolded.
“It was really a bad day in the office. I think everyone could see we were playing a really quality side,” he said.
“In the first five to 10 minutes, we looked sharp, but it all happened that we crashed.”
Ndiraya’s side struggled where matches are often won. Their midfield was overrun, their attack carried little threat and they spent too much of the afternoon reacting instead of playing.
For Scottland, the result will fuel more talk around their title credentials while for Chicken Inn, the bigger concern may be that they were not just beaten; they were made to look second best for long periods of the afternoon.
Ngezi make statement win
At Baobab, 2023 champions Ngezi Platinum Stars showed no signs of a team about to relinquish their remarkable unbeaten run.
They turned on a classic show to overcome Bulawayo Chiefs 4-2 in a see-saw battle that at one stage appeared to be headed for a high-scoring draw.
Goals from Orlando Zvavaviri, Malvin Gaki, Tanaka Munemo and Eddisone MacDonald ensured that the platinum miners are the only team still unbeaten after 13 rounds of action this term.
Chiefs replied twice through Godswill Gwara and Denzel Mapuwa.
To put matters into perspective, Ngezi have been defying the odds, having to rely on their development structures as they were unable to do business on the transfer market.
They are on a FIFA transfer ban because they still owe their former coaches Benjani Mwaruwari and Bongani Mafu.
Before the FIFA ban, Ngezi had also been hit by an exodus of seasoned players, some of whom followed coach Takesure Chiragwi to CAPS United.
Amid all that gloom, Ngezi did not fold their arms in despair and instead youthful coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziwa has grabbed the opportunity to lead the team by assembling a fine young side that is long on potential to deliver the championship.
“I never imagined us at this position at this stage; it is quite a miracle I must say,” said Mutiwekuziwa.
Despite being unbeaten, Ngezi came into yesterday’s game on the back of three successive draws. But they made their intentions clear from the onset, breaching Bulawayo Chiefs’ back line twice in the opening three minutes, but they fluffed the chances.
The breakthrough did arrive in the fifth minute when Zvavaviri got to the end of a Tanaka Munemo cross.
Mutiwekuziwa was also impressed with the execution by his players.
“I am impressed with how we conducted ourselves in this game; the boys were able to stick to the game plan using wings because we had deployed youngsters who have the speed there,” he said.
“We had not won for a number of games, so our mission was to get as many goals as we could, hence we continued to attack until the final whistle.”
Chiefs head coach John Nyikadzino was not happy with the manner in which they crumbled after clawing back to level the game at 2-2.
“We were slow to come into the game in the first half and they got an early goal, but eventually we got on top of the situation although our transition from defence to attack was very slow, hence we got punished,” he said.
“Their wingers were a handful for our wingbacks. All the goals we conceded came from crosses.
“We had come up with a solution in the second half, introducing a central midfielder to control the game and we got the goals, but unfortunately their wingers came to task again and outclassed us with speed.’’
