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FROM WELLINGTON TONI IN ZVISHAVANEFC Platinum…(4) 4Green Mamba...0(FC Platinum wins 8-2 on aggregate)CHARLES Sibanda scored twice and created two as FC Platinum romped past Green Mamba in the second leg preliminary round CAF Champions League tie at Mandava yesterday.

Even without the injured Donald Ngoma, there was no pressure on the hosts as Joel Ngodzo gave them the insurance goal as early as the seventh minute before Sibanda’s double in the 29 and 45th minute.Allan Gahadzikwa was also on target in the 37th minute to give FC Platinum an emphatic 8-2 aggregate victory after a 4-2 away victory two weeks ago.Green Mamba coach Lloyd Mutasa, who replaced Francis Banda after the first leg in Mbabane, made three changes to the team bringing in former Dynamos goalkeeper Zondai Nyaungwa, former Njube Sundown midfielder Stanford Ncube and Welile Maseko in a bid to get an early goal.But it was Ngodzo who settled the FC Platinum nerves first with a fine grounder in the seventh minute after Sibanda had played the ball in the box.Gahadzikwa was then set up by Sibanda in the 26th minute, but he skied his effort before the dreadlocked former Motor Action striker showed him how to finish off three minutes later.Left back Quadr Amini played Ali Sadiki to the left and his former Gunners teammate brought in a long cross that Sibanda left footed into the nets leaving Nyaungwa stranded.Gahadzikwa then made amends beating Nyaungwa and fired the ball into the net from a tight angle in the 37th minute. Sibanda then completed his double in style in the 45th minute going airborne to acrobatically connect a Michelle Katsvairo cross to make it 4-0.The second half was basically damage limitation for Mutasa although his side managed to get two chances in the 77th and 79th minute which they failed to convert.Musa Dhlamini hit the cross bar with Platinum goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube a beaten man before Maseko scooped the ball wide in a face-to-face situation with the goalkeeper. FC Platinum will now meet Sudanese giants El Merreikh, a fierce rival of Edward Sadomba’s Al Hilal.The first leg of the tie will be played on March 23, 24 and 25  at Mandava while the return leg is set for April 6,7 and 8 away in Sudan. FC Platinum coach Rahman Gumbo hopes that chief striker Donald Ngoma will be back to action by then as he missed yesterday’s encounter.