Whawha edge Hwange

Munyaradzi Musiiwa in Gweru
Whawha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1

Hwange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

A second-half strike by striker Kenneth Bhuka was all Whawha needed to edge Hwange in a dull Castle Lager Premiership soccer match at Ascot yesterday.

The victory was a relief to the home side’s coach Lloyd Mutasa who had seen his charges go for a number of games without a victory since their last win against Dynamos at the same stadium.

“I think after three outings losing all the games, it’s good to win the match. When you lose three games on the trot it won’t be easy to win but I am glad that we managed to come up with a win. We would want to continue with the momentum,” said Mutasa.

Hwange coach Nation Dube was left fuming over the decisions by referee Munyaradzi Majoni which he said affected his players. “I accept defeat and would not want to comment much about the referee but I think the officiating let us down big time. Such decisions affect players but generally I am pleased with the way my guys played,” said Dube.

The match started on poor note with nothing much to write home about as there was no goalmouth action with lethargic play displayed by both teams for the greater part of the first half.

Whawha came close to open the scoring in the 27th minute when Oscar Lungu weaved past the Hwange defence inside the box and unleashed a shot which found goalkeeper Timoth Sibanda equal to the task. An in-form Roy Useni went on a solo three minutes later after picking a loose ball just outside the box but propelled his effort over the bar.

Whawha came back from the breather a rejuvenated side and managed to take the lead just two minutes after the break when Useni’s pass found an unmarked Bhuka inside the box and the latter responded by rifling the ball home beyond the reach of a diving Sibanda. From then on the home side began to dominate play with Hwange failing to make any clear-cut chances.

Whawha are now a point behind Hwange who came into the match buoyed by their 1-0 victory over Chicken Inn last week and are now fourth from the bottom.