adminDon Makanyanga in Mhondoro-Ngezi
Black Rhinos………………………………….0
Ngezi Platinum Stars…………………….0
(Ngezi Platinum Stars won 5-3 on penalties)
NGEZI Platinum Stars forwards, Donald Teguru and Francisco Zwekumbawire may have done enough to land themselves a break into the European leagues after they caught the eyes of visiting player agents Muhammad Mustapha and Miguel Angelo in this Chibuku Cup quarter-final tie at Baobab yesterday.
“We were impressed by Teguru he got into good positions and he is a good player and maybe after tomorrow we will know where we can send him.
“We have connections around the world,” said Mustapha.
But, it was goalkeeper Nelson Chadya who emerged the hero of the day after saving Marvelous Mkumba’s penalty in the dreaded shoot out and helped Ngezi secure their berth among the last four.
Frank Makarati, James Nguluve, Kelvin Bulaji, Keith Murera and Qadr Amini converted for the 2016 Chibuku Super Cup winners while Black Rhinos’ Tapiwa Sibanda, Jameson Mukombwe and Farai Banda converted for the soldiers.
There was no such luck, however, for Mukumba who became the fall guy with his miss.
Rhinos coach Herbert Maruwa was disappointed with the result and felt his charges could have done better in regulation time.
“We cannot judge the team by the penalties, I felt my guys did well but after all that is what cup games are like. We missed a golden opportunity in the second half, had we scored we could be talking a different story,” said Maruwa.
Ngezi coach Rodwell Dhlakama was naturally elated with the win.
“Again we were not on point in terms of our conversion, but the good thing is that we have qualified,” Dhlakama said.
Ngezi enjoyed the lion’s share in the first half and Teguru found himself in a good scoring position but failed to control the ball inside the box allowing Rhinos to clear their lines.
While Ngezi became the first side into the last four, two more slots are set to be decided this afternoon when league champions FC Platinum face Bulawayo giants Highlanders at Barbourfields while caretaker Manica Diamonds coach Johannes Nhumwa will be hoping to continue with his fairy tale run with a victory over ZPC Kariba at Vengere.
Highlanders coach Hendrik Pieter De Jong is convinced that his charges are safe from relegation, and now is the time for them to shift focus to the Chibuku Super Cup.
Tasked with surviving the chop De Jong has had the best of starts as Bosso are currently unbeaten since he took over and they enjoy a run of five matches which was spiced by the bonus of knocking out bitter rivals Dynamos in the first round of the Chibuku Super Cup.
“Since I took over we have recorded four wins and two draws, these are great results for a team that was fighting relegation when I arrived” said De Jong.
“Highlanders is a great team with the right talent and a lot of potential.
“With the right frame of mind this team can achieve a lot and I am happy with what I have seen so far.
“Winning the cup is a possibility,” said De Jong.
De Jong also spoke of his admiration for FC Platinum.
“I have great respect for FC Platinum; they are a professional organisation and have state of the art facilities.
“They have a good team and I have been following them.
“They have had two years of great international success and want more but I have belief in my players.
“I am confident that on Sunday we will get a good result and book a place in the semi-finals,” said De Jong.
FC Platinum coach Lizwe Sweswe is aware of the task at hand but believes his charges have what it takes to handle the pressure as they target a double on the local scene.
They also want to proceed beyond the group stage of the Champions league.
“Football is a game of pressure and it will always be there.
“There is nothing we can do about it, but soldier on.
“We cannot prioritise any of the two (Premiership and Chibuku Super Cup) as both are important to us.
“The moment you want to think one is more important than the other then you risk losing both.
“All we have to do is put the same amount of effort in all the tournaments, and then see what we get at the end of the season.
“We lost a lot of players during the course of the season, hence we have to juggle with what we have to get the results. However, I am confident we have the players to do the job,” said Sweswe.
Online Reporter