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Takudzwa Chitsiga-Sports Reporter
ZPC Kariba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2)3
Black Rhinos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(0) 1
ZPC KARIBA interim coach Newsome Mtema shared his delight yesterday after his side ended a four-match win-less run and piled the pressure on fellow strugglers Black Rhinos in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at National Sports Stadium.
The Kariba based side got their goals through Fanuel Shoko, who scored a beauty, beating Black Rhinos goalkeeper Panashe Chirimanyemba after a good work from Leroy Murape in the 35th minute.
Shoko made no mistake from inside the box after the Black Rhinos defenders were caught flat-footed.
In-form Foster Dhemere, who was impressive throughout the afternoon, added more misery for Rhinos stand-in coach Stanford Stix Mutizwa. The legendary ex-midfielder was recently reassigned to the position of technical advisor following a spate of poor results, but he is still holding fort as the new coach to replace him Saul Chaminuka is still to get clearance to sit on the bench.
The PSL ruled that coaches that did not attend the recent CAF A Refresher course will not be allowed to work in the topflight league this season.
Mutizwa cut a distraught figure as Dhemere doubled ZPC Kariba’s lead in the 45th minute after Murape once again won a tussle with Black Rhinos defenders in the centre circle before he released Moses Demera, who in turn laid the ball for on-rushing Dhemere to score.
With the Kariba side getting a goal at regular intervals, they were back in the 55th minute as Murape added the third after receiving a good pass from Dhemere.
But Rhinos got a consolation goal in the 68th minute through substitute Sylon Chikwerengwe, who had come in for veteran midfielder Allan Gahadzikwa at half-time.
Mtema, the stand-in ZPC Kariba coach, believes that the win was a morale booster for the players and the team after losing three and drawing one of their last four matches, to sink into the bottom half of the table.
“I am happy with the win. The boys did well and I believe it is the beginning of good things to come. The win is a relief to us as we started the season on a low note.
“We will continue to work hard and get the desired results whenever possible. I am happy with how Dhemere performed today as he gave us the impact going forward and he was also there defensively.
“Overall, the team is getting there and we hope to continue getting results. We are hopeful that our Nyamhunga base will meet the PSL standards so that we do not travel that much for our home games as it has been affecting us,” said Mtema.
Black Rhinos stand-in coach Mutizwa was not happy with the result. He said they have a lot of work to do to turn around the club’s fortunes.
“We had a bright start but some few mistakes completely changed the complexion of the game. We went to sleep and considered two weak goals that saw us out,” said Mutizwa.
Rhinos anchor the 18-team log standings with six points from nine starts. They have not won a match in their last eight outings. They got their only win of the season in the opening game of the campaign when they edged sister club Cranborne Bullets 1-0.
Teams:
Black Rhinos: P. Chirimanyemba, C. Manyemba, V. Katsande, P. Milanzi, A. Gahadzikwa, D. Mutimuzunze, T. Matongo, F. Meya, M. Svinurai, M. Nelson.
Black Rhinos: T. Chilenga, K. Madima, l. Nekati, M. Diro, B. Mukuture, T. Pio, F. Shoko, C. Muleya, L. Murape, K. Dhemere, M, Demera.
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