How Mine . . . (1) 4 Chuoni . . . 0
Sukoluhle Mthethwa
HOW Mine kick-started their debut CAF Confederations Cup campaign with an emphatic win over Zanzibar’s Chuoni in a first leg preliminary round tie at a muddy Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.
Kudakwashe Musharu grabbed a brace while captain Menard Mupera and Warren Dube also recorded their maiden goals in the competition.
The Metallon Gold-sponsored side will have to maintain their win or score more goals in Zanzibar in a fortnight to sail through to the next stage.
However, both coaches lamented the condition of the pitch as the rains continue to pound the city.
How Mine coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube was happy with the result. “I think we are in the right direction. We need to do our homework for the next game. The pitch is 90% bad. We need to have another pitch reserved in such circumstances,” he said.
Chuoni coach Ali Abdalla Hassan blamed the defeat on the condition of the pitch.
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“The ground was not good as you can see for yourself but our team played well. How Mine is a very good team. We respect them but we also have a team which is very good,” he said.
How Mine had their first chance as early as the fifth minute when Edmore Muzanenhamo shot over the bar from inside the box.
Three minutes later, How Mine thought they had a penalty when Ahmed Mohammed Sulum appeared to have hacked down Dube inside the box, but Angolan referee Do Rosario Baltazar cautioned the home team player.
Musharu fired past Chuoni goalkeeper Ahmed Ali Suliman in the 41st minute off a substitute Emmanuel Mandiranga pass.
The home side went two-up through a well-taken Menard Mupera penalty after Musharu was brought down by Sulum a minute after the breather. Musharu rose above the rest in the 51st minute to head in a Mandiranga corner kick to register his second goal.
Dube then put the icing on the cake with the fourth goal in the 79th minute from a set piece just outside the penalty box.
