Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze, Zimpapers Sports Hub
MWOS 2-0 CAPS United
MWOS know how to make an entrance.
In their debut Premiership season, they went 17 games unbeaten. Now, in their first-ever Chibuku Super Cup outing, they’ve marked the occasion with a statement win, knocking out the “Cup Kings” CAPS United in the first round at Ngoni Stadium in Norton , yesterday.
Coming off a five-match winless run in the league, MWOS poured their frustrations into this fixture, sealing a 2-0 victory with second-half goals from Nigel Matinha and Arthur Banda.
From the opening whistle, Lloyd Mutasa’s men had the upper hand. They dominated every department, forcing CAPS to chase second balls. Relying on long passes that sometimes skipped midfield, MWOS kept goalkeeper Stephen Odai busy, though their finishing let them down early on.
CAPS had a brief spark in the 16th minute when Congolese striker Mutshimba Mugalu, slipped through the defence and crossed into the box, but no teammate was in position to convert. Adam Tende’s foul soon after gave Moffat Aboubakar a free kick just outside the area, but Tafadzwa George couldn’t capitalise.
Banda then surged towards goal before being cut off by a defender, winning another free kick. Aboubakar’s thunderbolt effort went straight at Odai, who punched it clear. The first half ended goalless.
The visitors brought on Kundai Benyu after the break, hoping to inject creativity into a midfield missing Tanaka Shandirwa. But MWOS still looked sharper, creating two early chances that George and Tinotenda Mutyambizi failed to finish.
Matinha finally broke the deadlock in the 55th minute, bursting through the middle and unleashing a powerful strike into the top left corner. The home crowd erupted.
Banda almost doubled the lead in the 79th minute, his effort sailing over the bar. Six minutes later, he made no mistake, cutting in from the left and firing from distance to seal the win.
Mutasa capped the night by handing 15-year-old Ethan Tamson his debut in added time.
“I give thanks to God for the victory. With where we are coming from, we badly needed this and I’m happy the boys responded well,” said Mutasa. “At half time we talked about ball retention and I gave the boys a thumbs-up for a spectacular first half. Our fans came in numbers and even when things aren’t going well, they’re there. The least we could do was give them something to celebrate.”
CAPS coach Ian Bakala, was blunt about his team’s shortcomings.
“Sometimes I’m sure people can see we’ve always conceded goals like that. It’s something we’ve tried to work on, but we still have to go back and introspect,” he said. “The players need to understand CAPS United is a big club and everyone has to work for the badge. Only then can we win games. It’s disappointing to be knocked out in the first round.”
Londile Moyo