The Standard 8 June 2014

Sport
The Standard June 8 to 14 2014 31
Chapungu hand
Green Machine
thorough beating
A brace by Rodwell Mhlanga and wonder goal
from Gift Phiri ensured the rout
by MUKUDZEI CHINGWERE
Chapungu . . . (1) (3)
CAPS United . . . (0)
CHAPUNGU stripped off
a disjointed CAPS United
their dignity with a 3-0
mauling in a Castle Lager premiership
match at Ascot yesterday.
A brace by Rodwell Mhlanga
and a wonder goal from Gift Phiri
ensured the rout.
CAPS United coach Taurai
Mangwiro blamed the off field
shenanigans at the club for the
loss, which led to an industrial action
by the players before the visit
to Gweru.
“There are a lot of things
happening behind the scenes
which contributed to this loss.
You have players like Hardlife
Zvirekwi; he trained with us
the whole week but pulled out
of the team at the last minute,
it disturbs preparations,” said
Mangwiro.
The winning coach John Nyikadzino
was delighted with the
good showing of his charges.
“It’s a good result, in our last
games we were not burying our
chances but today we did so, we
also wasted some chances and I
think we could have won by half a
dozen goals,” said Nyikadzino.
The army side raced into an early
lead with only three minutes
played when Mhlanga got to the
end of a Charles Mativenga cross.
Nyikadzino introduced Farai
Manase his most lethal weapon in
the 67 th minute when CAPS were
beginning to slowly come into the
game and a minute later, Manase
left CAPS United captain Tapiwa
Kumbayani for dead before squaring
the ball for Mhlanga, who had
the easiest of task to tap home for
his second of the afternoon.
With seven minutes left on the
clocks — Phiri received the ball
outside the box and let go a thunderous
shot which gave Jorum
Muchambo no chance.
Samaya’s strike wins it for Rhinos
by MICHAEL MADyIRA IN KADOMA
Black Rhinos . . . (0) 1
Buffaloes . . . 0
LINCoLN Samaraya struck with
11 minutes remaining to separate
Black Rhinos and visiting Buffaloes
in a Castle Lager premiership
match at Rimuka yesterday.
on a drab afternoon where both
sides lacked purpose, Rhinos recovered
from missing a first-half
penalty kick and bagged three
points to end a five-match winless
streak that included four loses
and a draw.
Arthur Tutani’s men had last
won in April when they dismissed
Chiredzi United 2-1 at home.
“This victory is a big relief,”
said Tutani.
“It made me feel proud of my
boys. They did not want me to go. We
now just have to be consistent going
forward and avoid relegation. Let me
warn FC Platinum that we are coming
to humiliate them in their own
backyard in our next game.”
The three points saw Rhinos displacing
Triangle at 13 th spot, but
they could stay there for just 24
hours if the Lowveld side beat Dynamos
today.
Luke Masomere’s Buffaloes were
replaced at position eight by Chapungu
who trounced CAPS United.
“I was not happy with the way
my boys played,” said Masomere.
“Their body language was negative
and that has been the case
since the Triangle game. We however
created more chances than Rhinos.
Also the referee [Darlington
Shonhiwa] played a part with unfair
decisions.”
Rhinos probed first as early as
the second minute when Jameson
Mukombwe’s on-target long drive
was desperately pushed out for a
corner by Buffaloes goalkeeper
Blessing Mwandimutsira.
It took 19 minutes for the visitors
to respond when Jeffery Takunda’s
powerful header crushed against
the upright post after Roy Mwenga
had rounded Rhinos goalkeeper
Jonathan Zvaita.
Rhinos had a glorious chance to
go ahead on the half hour mark
when Liberty Chakoroma pulled
Samaraya inside the box, but Brian
Muzondiwa had his penalty saved
by Mwandimutsira before Philip
Marufu blasted wide the rebound.
But Marufu picked himself up
and led an attack that resulted in
Samaraya’s goal amid a goal-mouth
melee.
How Mine, Harare City draw Aquina wins Ok
Grand Challenge
THANDIWE MOyO
How Mine . . . 0
Harare City . . . 0
A 10-men Harare City got their
their first point away from home in
a goalless draw aganst How Mine
in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer
League encounter at Luveve yesterday.
The draw takes the Sunshine
Boys to seven points from 10 games
while How Mine are on 18 points
but they both remain at the same
positions 15 and third respectively.
Harare City head coach Bigboy
Mawiwi said gaining a point away
from home was positive for the
team which has struggled since the
start of the season, a sharp contrast
to their performance last season.
“We are no longer struggling.
The fact that we were not winning
was not because we were not playing
well. We are going up. This is the
first point away from home and it
is a positive thing. I do not want to
comment much about the referees.
This is why our nation is not improving
in football. We played well
and created a few chances even if
we were playing against the wind.
We had control of the game until
referee gave [James] Jam a red card.
“The referee was not in a position
to make that call. We lost control
and we resorted to defending,”
he said.
Jam was given his marching orders
in the 74 th minute after Masvingo-based
referee Makonese Masakadza
adjudged that he had crudely
tackled Wonder Sithole.
How Mine coach Philani “Beefy”
Ncube said: “It is a point at home
and as much as we would have
wanted three points, there is nothing
we can do. The break affected
us but we hope to rise in the next
game,”he said.
by OUR STAff
AqUINA followed up her Castle
tinkered success by scooping the
US$40 000 2014 ok Grand Challenge
Trophy at Borrowdale Race Course
yesterday.
Ridden by Bulawayo-born and
bred jockey Karl Zechner, Aquina
beat a strong line-up of 17 horses
that included favourite Coltrane,
six-year-old Gelding, A King is Born
and the Lisa Harris — trained Menacing
among others. The top threeyear-old
of the season so far, Lucky
Sam conditioned by Lisa Harris, finished
ahead of third placed Approval
Rating to claim second place in
the prestigious race.
Perennial campaigner Captain’s
Tiger rolled back the years to storm
to a respectable fourth place. King
Kahal was withdrawn just before
the race as a late scratching for being
intractable.
Underfire . . . CAPS United coach Taurai Mangwiro
Chiredzi FC,
Hwange draw
by KENNETH NyANGANI IN CHIREDZI
Chiredzi . . . (1)1
Hwange . . . (0)1
PREMIERSHIP debutants Chiredzi
Football Club failed to utilise
home advantage once again as
they were restricted to a one-all
draw by visiting Hwange in a Castle
Lager premiership match at
Chishamiso yesterday.
Chiredzi FC are yet to collect
maximum points at home as their
only win came in a 2-0 win over
Bantu Rovers away in Bulawayo.
Chiredzi scored through Trevor
Ndlovu in the first half before
Isaac Masame equalised for the
visitors in the second stanza.
The visitors overpowered
their opponents in the first half
but failed to utilise chances that
came their way with forward
Aleck Marime missing glaring
chances.
As early as the fourth minute,
Rodwell Chinyengetere made fine
exchange of passes with Evans
Rusike, who released Marime inside
the box but Chiredzi FC goalkeeper
Steven Chimusoro was
equal to the task, pushing the ball
out for a corner.
Three minutes later, Tafara
Chese found Marime inside the
box but blasted his effort over the
cross bar from a position which
was easier to score than to miss.
Chinyengetere beat an offside
trap in the 17th minute off
a Phakamani Dube through pass
but Chimusoro, who had a good
day between the sticks for Chiredzi,
made a fine save.
The home side jerked their fans
off their seats after a stunning
free kick which missed the target.
It was midfielder Ncube, who
broke the deadlock with a welltaken
raspy shot outside the box
after receiving a fine pass from
Tapiwa Depistara in the 33rd
minute.
The second half was a balanced
affair but the visitors equalised
in the 66 th minute through
Masame.
Chiredzi FC striker Kenneth
Matogo had a chance to put the
hosts in the front, but again blasted
his effort over the bar with
Hwange goalkeeper Takabva Mawaya
a beaten man.
Hwange head coach Nation
Dube blamed the referee for the
draw, saying that he was not happy
with the level of officiating exhibited.
“The referee was okay in the
first half but in the second he was
biased,” he said.
Moses Chunga said he was happy
with his side performance before
adding that he needed more
time to fine tune the squad.
“The boys did well and it is very
unfortunate that we didn’t win
the match. We conceded a silly
goal, we are going to regroup and l
think in three weeks’ time we will
improve,” he said.