Andrew
Don Makanyanga
Sports Reporter
Harare City……………………………………………..0
Black Rhinos …………………………………………..0
VISITING Black Rhinos failed to register a single shot on target as their dull Castle Lager Premier League contest with Harare City cantered to a deadlock at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.
It was almost a similar case with their opponents Harare City, who only had a single clear-cut chance in a match in which a draw was the fairest result.
The two sides were meeting for the 11th time in the Premiership but they woefully did nothing to keep the paltry crowd on the edge of their seats.
With neither side failing to create meaningful scoring opportunities, the match had to be a midfield contest between the two sides.
Hosts Harare City dominated the battle, thanks to their defensive midfield pair of Donald Mudadi and Pio Tellmore.
Harare City got the first bite of the cherry in creating a meaningful scoring opportunity in the 20th minute when Mudadi did well to beat his marker on the left flank and flighted in a good-looking cross, which Wilfred Muvirimi did well to control but failed to connect at close range.
Five minutes later, it was Black Rhinos’ turn, launching their first attack of the afternoon when Gracious Mleya won the ball inside his own half before switching play to the right flank, where he found Keith Madera, who did well to beat his marker before crossing the ball.
Madera’s cross was well received by Denzel Mutudza but the Black Rhinos attacking midfielder wasted the opportunity as he took time to shoot, allowing the Harare City defence to reorganise themselves and foil the attack.
After those two promising raids, both sides went to sleep and lacked imagination in the attacking third.
In what proved to be a carbon copy of the first half in which only two scoring opportunities were created, five minutes after the break, Black Rhinos seemed to have upped their tempo and came close to breaking the deadlock when a seemingly harmless Peace Makaha cross from the right hit the woodwork.
And five minutes later, Clive Rupiya received the ball inside the Black Rhinos box from second-half substitute Tatenda Tumba but he found the army side’s goalkeeper Blessing Mwandimutsira equal to the task.
Mwandimutsira pushed the powerful grounder out for a corner-kick.
With midfield battle being a tense one, Makaha was forced out of the match on the hour mark after a nasty collision with Harare City defensive midfielder Mudadi.
Despite being involved in the nasty collision, Mudadi continued with the match and won the praise of his coach Taurai Mangwiro.
“Mudadi and Pio were outstanding for us in the midfield, and if these guys had chickened out of the aggressive challenges from Black Rhinos players, it could have been a different story for us.
“The two did exceptionally well, especially Mudadi, who had to continue with the match after that collision,” said Mangwiro.
The Harare City gaffer was also happy with the draw.
“It was a game of very few chances, I did not see Black Rhinos getting a clear-cut chance and us getting a single chance that fell to Rupiya in the second half, but, overall, it was a cagey affair between the two sides in which they cancelled each other in the midfield.
“It is a plus for us that we kept a clean sheet considering that we have been conceding in most of our matches, but, going forward, we need to work on the final third,” he said.
Rhinos gaffer Herbert Maruwa was happy his charges managed to bag a point away from home.
“To us it’s a fair result, and the point we got is going to add value at the end of the season.
“Our game plan is to get at most a point away from home and get maximum points at home, and, like I said, we are happy with the point,” said Maruwa.
Online Reporter