Vusumuzi Dube
Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter
Ngezi Platinum Stars 2-2 Simba Bhora (Ngezi Platinum Stars win 5-4 on penalties)
NGEZI Platinum Stars have progressed to the final of the Chibuku Super Cup after dismissing Simba Bhora 5-4 through a penalty lottery in the cup’s first semi-final tie that was played at Mhondoro’s Baobab Stadium yesterday.
The match, which was watched by Warriors head coach Michael Nees, had ended two all in regulation time. In normal time, Talent Chamboko put the platinum miners into the lead in 37 minutes before the game went on to produce three exciting goals that were scored within seven minutes in the second-half.
With Ngezi sitting back trying to absorb pressure, evergreen Tymon Machope levelled the matters with a close range effort in the 75th minute.
After six minutes, Machope was back to score for Simba Bhora through a breathtaking overhead kick that beat a badly exposed Ngezi Platinum Stars goalminder Marion Chang all systems out.
With Simba Bhora thinking they were now done, in less than two minutes veteran Farai Madanhanga let loose a hard and low thunderbolt from just outside the box that beat Talbert Shumba to his left.
The penalty shoot-out saw Kudzai Chigwida, Nigel Makumbe, Takunda Benhura, Never Tigere and Madanhanga all convert their efforts for Madamburo.
Walter Musona, Blessing Moyo, Gift Saunyama, Onifade Abubakar scored from 12 yards for Simba while Ishe Mauchi had his spot kick saved by Chang to give Ngezi Platinum Stars another Chibuku Super Cup final berth.
Ngezi Platinum Stars were last year’s losing finalist in the same competition and they will now meet either Dynamos or Manica Diamonds who will be involved in the cup’s second semi-final set for Rufaro Stadium this afternoon.
In the 2023 edition of the country’s biggest knockout tournament that comes with a sole ticket to represent the country in the Caf Confederations Cup, DeMbare beat Ngezi 2-0.
Meanwhile, ahead of their match against Manica Diamonds, DeMbare players engaged in some damaging two-and-a-half days of strike action.
The Glamour Boys staged sit-ins from last Wednesday demanding their outstanding winning bonuses and signing-on fees with efforts to engage them failing to bear fruit until past Friday afternoon when treasurer Justice Mubayi addressed them.
DeMbare players are reportedly owed winning bonuses amounting to about US$500 each, while others still have outstanding signing-on fees ranging between US$2 000 and US$10 000, which the club still has to pay.
The players reportedly demanded to know what their portion would be from the US$50 000 participation fees paid out by the Confederation of African Football for the Confederation Cup.
A second-round penalty shoot-out defeat by Botswana’s Orapa United meant that Dynamos missed out on an even bigger pay cheque of at least US$400 000 from Caf.
Seeing that their issues were being taken lightly, the players started an industrial action last Wednesday with club executive chairman Moses Maunganidze, reportedly twice failing to reach an agreement with them.
With no solution to their problems in sight, they agreed on their own to train twice on Friday, but then the club chiefs may have made an error of judgment when writing to suspend midfielder Tanaka Shandirwa for allegedly leading the rebellion.
Our sister paper, The Herald reported that the move, as expected, drew the ire of other players who even threatened not to fulfil the Chibuku Super Cup today’s semi-final tie against Manica Diamonds in solidarity with Shandirwa.
They wanted his suspension nullified. In the end, the players seemed to have prevailed as club secretary-general Webster Marechera who was on the ground when the whole drama with the players unfolded, vehemently disowned the letter that had notified Shandirwa of his suspension.
Dynamos were set to go into camp yesterday ahead of today’s match as they look forward to defending the Chibuku Super Cup glory. While DeMbare lost their preparatory time due to the strike, Manica Diamonds coach Jairos Tapera refused to be fooled by the series of strike actions at the Harare giants.
“We don’t know about all that; what we are sure of is that we will face a Dynamos side that is capable of winning the Chibuku Super Cup as they did last year. We will not be fooled into believing all that because we know what Dynamos can do when it comes to big matches,” said Tapera.— @FungaiMuderere
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