tawandamusarurwa
Don Makanyanga in MHONDORO-NGEZI
Ngezi Platinum Stars … (0) 1
Bulawayo Chiefs………….(0)
NGEZI Platinum Stars coach Takesure Chiragwi remains optimistic of his team’s chances of challenging for the title after bouncing back to winning ways in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League yesterday.
The miners received Bulawayo Chiefs at Baobab Stadium needing to keep within shouting distance of unbeaten log leaders Highlanders, who had a seven-point advantage. Their bid was boosted by Highlanders’ failure to win against ZPC Kariba at Nyamhunga Stadium yesterday.
Teenage striker Tinotenda Murasiranwa’s second-half goal won the match for Ngezi.
The result was a major relief for Chiragwi after his team fell to Highlanders at the same venue last week.
“I am happy, to be honest . . . We really wanted this win as we had to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Highlanders, and I am happy the boys responded well.
“If we had lost this game, I think it would have been all over,” said Chiragwi.
He is, however, worried by Ngezi strikers’ low conversion rate. In the first half, we should have scored two or three goals, and coming into the second half of the season, we need to convert chances that come our way.
“We are in a competition, hence we need to continue winning games and see how it ends.”
Bulawayo Chiefs coach Joseph Sibindi admitted that they had lost to a good side.
“We came into the match hoping to collect maximum points and it did not happen. If we wanted to lose the match, we would have not come.
“It was a good game, we tried our best and Ngezi got their chance and won the game,” he said.
The hosts were dominant earlier on but they fluffed two clear-cut chances inside the first 15 minutes. Skipper Qadr Amini could have given them an eighth-minute lead when he came to the end of Marlon Mushonga’s cross. Amini miscued his effort, with the ball bouncing off his knee when Chiefs’ goalkeeper Issah Ali was already a beaten man.
Seven minutes later, Ali was called into action once again, as he was forced to make a superb save to deny Farai Madhanhanga what could have been the midfielder’s first goal of the season.
After surviving the early scare, the visitors finally found their way into the game.
Chiefs, who endured a largely quiet first half, had their first attempt at goal in the 25th minute, when the Premier Soccer League’s Player of the Month for July, Obriel Chirinda, capitalised on miscommunication between Kudzai Chigwida and goalkeeper Nelson Chadya.
Chirinda could have taken his goal tally to 10 but somehow Chadya quickly recovered to deflect the ball out for a corner.
The Chiefs striker came close again in the 33rd minute when he beat his marker, only for his volley to miss the target from the edge of the box. It then became a midfield battle in the second half, before Ngezi resorted to using their wings to try and find a breakthrough. It soon paid off, as Murasiranwa found the winner after 52 minutes.
Chiefs defenders failed to clear their lines from a corner and Amini tried to hit a powerful grounder but his execution let him down.
His miscued effort, however, fortuitously fell onto the path of Murasiranwa, who controlled the ball well before unleashing a powerful volley.
Neither side managed to carve out meaningful attempts at goal for the remainder of the contest.
Online Reporter