FC Platinum (0) 0 CAPS united (1) 2
Rejuvenated Harare side CAPS United completed a double over FC Platinum with a comfortable 2-0 win at Mandava yesterday.Report by Ephraim Shoko in Zvishavane
A goal in each half by Asani Nhongo and Leonard Fiyado were enough to take CAPS United points tally to 26, thereby easing relegation worries.
CAPS United opened the floodgates in the 21st minute through a well-taken free-kick by Nhongo at the edge of the penalty box after Fiyado was upended by FC Platinum defender Daniel Vheremu. Nhongo curled the ball to the top left corner giving Francis Tizayi in goals for Platinum no chance at all.
After the goal, CAPS United crawled into a defensive shell to allow FC Platinum to dominate the remainder of the first half.
However, the platinum miners failed to make use of the dominance as the Green Machine held on to the slender lead up to the breather.
In the second half, FC Platinum came back a more determined side with Qudr Amini almost equalising with a long range shot but watched in disbelief as his effort missed the target by inches.
CAPS United were back in the 72nd minute to grab their second goal through Fiyado, tapped in from a rebound after Tizayi had spilled a David Redioni stinger from outside the penalty box.
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The result brought relief to Taurai Mangwiro and the entire technical team with assistant coach Mkhuphali Masuku lauding his lads for a spirited performance.
“It was a difficult game but the guys played well,” Masuku said.
Tendai Chikuni conceded that his team lost to a better side.
“CAPS were a better side and they took their chances. We had ours but we could not convert them, which made the difference at the end of the day,” Chikuni said.
In Harare, Ranganai Dzotizei reports that Monomotapa continued with their impressive run when they dispatched Hwange 3-0 in a Castle Lager premiership match at Rufaro.
Monoz turned on the style in a commanding second half performance with goals from Osborne Mukuradare, Rusell Madamombe and a late Joseph Mutambiranwa strike to keep themselves in the hunt for the title.
The game’s talking point came in the 59th minute when Rodwell Chinyengetere came out worse from a collision with Monoz goalkeeper Artwell Mukandi. He was rushed to hospital immediately with a serious ankle injury that may give Rahman Gumbo some shivers with the return leg against Angola looming.
Away from that horrible moment, both teams sized each other up in the first period with Monoz guilty of missing gilt-edged chances that came their way.
After the breather, it was Kudakwashe Musharu who again underlined his importance to the team when he squared the ball for Mukuradare who blasted home from close range to give Monoz the advantage in the 55th minute.
Hwange had their own moments to salvage something with Winston Mhango hitting the post and heading wide in the last 10 minutes.
Madamombe gave the scoreline some insurance on 89 minutes when he benefited from Musharu’s pin point passing range to slide the ball past Timothy Sibanda.
Monoz were not done yet as Mutambiranwa was on hand to bury the third goal to send Monoz temporarily to third on the log with 40 points while Hwange dropped down to 11th following CAPS United’s win over FC Platinum seeing them pegged at 25 points from 22 matches.
