Ndiraya shift blame

Lovemore Zigara in GWERU
Chapungu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) 1
Ngezi Platinum . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1
NGEZI Platinum Stars coach Tonderai Ndiraya blamed fatigue after his charges dropped two crucial points in the Castle Lager Premiership race following a draw against Chapungu at Ascot yesterday. The visitors had to come from behind to force a draw. “It was a very difficult match for us, but I thought we were very much in control,” said Ndiraya. “We had good opportunities to score, but we failed to convert. Fatigue also creeped in after a lot of travelling and it was very difficult playing at Ascot, but a point is okay for us.”

Chapungu coach, Tendai Chikuni was also happy with the result, but felt his charges gave away a “soft goal.” “That was all about a lapse in concentration and this is one of those things that we always talk about that defenders need to be very tight,” he said. “I am happy we were playing a team which is gunning for the title and we are fighting relegation so a point is not a bad result.”

Chapungu took the lead through former Harare City striker Osbourne Mukuradare in the 34th minute before Xolisani “Scara” Moyo restored parity for the visitors. It was a tale of two halves as Chapungu had the upper hand in the first half while the visitors took the game to their opponents in the second period. The visitors could have taken the lead in the 13th minute, but Terrence Dzukamanja failed to punish Chapungu as their defence was caught at sea when he found himself unmarked in the box.

He fired over the bar after an assist from Tichaona Mabvura. After a glut of missed chances, Chapungu finally found the breakthrough when Ricky Bota flighted a dangerous cross and in the goalmouth melee, Mukuradare managed to ghost in from the blind-side with a header to give the airmen the lead.