Ngezi lose more ground

Tadious Manyepo, Harare Bureau
Harare City 2-2 Ngezi
NGEZI Platinum players cut dejected figures when the final whistle blew but their assistant coach Gift “Umbro’’ Muzadzi tried to show a brave face raising forlorn hopes after the Mhondoro side lost more ground to leaders FC Platinum when being held by Harare City at Rufaro yesterday.

While the body language of the players told of a group that has surrendered the title chase, their caretaker coaches still held some faint hopes that they could yet overturn the nine-point deficit and be crowned the Zimbabwean kings.

That however would need FC Platinum to lose their all their remaining matches while Ngezi win their outstanding games.

But for a team that has not won since their controversial sacking of Tonderai Ndiraya, Ngezi’s best bet looks to be that of consolidating their second place finish.

After all FC Platinum are just one point away from glory and might not need it should Ngezi drop points in the manner they have been dropping lately.

Ngezi will also need to find the back of the net nine times in their last three games while FC Platinum fail to hit the target at all.

Yet they needed to win yesterday’s encounter at all costs to keep the gap between them and the champions at seven points.

But they did not look like a side in desperate need of the maximum points despite seizing early control of the match after Walter Mukanga thrust them into the lead from the penalty spot in the fifth minute.

The former Dynamos midfielder had been hacked down from behind by Moses Muchenje while preparing to take a crack at goal.

But, the lead lasted barely 10 minutes as Kuda Musharu levelled matters on the quarter-hour mark, finishing off a Takudzwa Chimwemwe cross past Donovan Bernard who was uncharacteristically jittery for the entire afternoon.

After Musharu’s equaliser, the home side took the game to their anxious opponents who however survived the onslaught thanks to some resolute defence by Frank Makarati and Polite Moyo.

But, the platinum miners couldn’t hold on as they were caught at sea, allowing Tatenda Tumba to stab home Harare City’s second, four minutes after the resumption in a goalmouth melee.

Though Ngezi rallied back in the 64th minute through Keith Murara, who came to the end of Michael Charamba’s corner, there was no way they could find the much-needed winner as they rushed their efforts.

Instead, it was the hosts who have now drawn 16 of their 31 matches who should have won the match, but substitute Martin Vengesayi failed to find his range at the death.

“We will fight until the end, of course it’s a set-back but it’s still game on.

“We are now trailing leaders FC Platinum with nine points and we still have nine points to play for, so I think anything can happen in football. We will keep on fighting until the last game.

“It’s all about how we are going to fight until the final game. Most people have already ruled us out but if we win all our remaining games and FC Platinum drop points, we will have a chance to win the championship,” said Muzadzi.

Harare City coach Mark Harrison was disappointed with the result.

“I am not really satisfied with the result, we were playing a team which is second in the league but I think we had done enough to win the game but then we gave away two sloppy goals.” said Harrison.

“If we had avoided those two silly goals, we would have won the game. But after recovering from that first goal, I thought we were supposed to win that match.

“Towards the end of the match, we created a lot of chances but then we fluffed them. So I am really disappointed, I think its two points which we lost in the match.

“But, I am happy on the other side as the players showed magnificent character. They competed with a very good team until the last minute,” Harrison said.