ZPC Kariba, Chicken Inn draw

Sport
A stoppage time equaliser by substitute Tsepo Rantokoane saved ZPC Kariba the blushes as visiting log leaders Chicken Inn were unlucky to drop two valuable points in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Gwanzura yesterday.

A stoppage time equaliser by substitute Tsepo Rantokoane saved ZPC Kariba the blushes as visiting log leaders Chicken Inn were unlucky to drop two valuable points in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Gwanzura yesterday.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

ZPC Kariba ……….. (0) 1 Chicken Inn ……… (0) 1

Chicken Inn now risk losing top spot if Triangle beat Whawha at Gibbo this afternoon.

Rantokoane cancelled out former Soccer Star of the Year Clemence Matawu’s 71st goal to save the day for ZPC Kariba who were starting life without Saul Chaminuka.

The goal came as a huge relief to ZPC Kariba caretaker coaches Oliver Mataba, Paul Chimalizeni and Ndawana Dube who were taking charge of the team for the first time since the sacking of Chaminuka and Godfrey Tamirepi last week.

“We are happy with the performance of the team because this is our first game in charge and the players played according to instruction. We are happy because we managed to take a point from Chicken Inn. They are a good team, they play beautiful football, especially their strikers going forward are difficult to contain so this was a good result,” Chimalizeni said.

It was the second successive game for Chicken Inn to drop points through draws and coach Joey Antipas felt hard done by the last minute equaliser.

“It happens in football, I think there was a lapse in concentration and in the last minute we got punished, but I have to give credit to my boys, they played three games in six days, they wanted three points but unfortunately it didn’t happen,” he side. Veteran Matawu found the net after his former teammate and ZPC keeper Liberty Chirava parried the ball into his path in trying to keep out Chirambadare’s low shot.

Two minutes into stoppage time Rantokoane scored after the Chicken Inn defence slept on duty.

Meanwhile, Tsholotsho’s woes mounted yesterday when How Mine handed them their third successive Premier Soccer League defeat at Luveve.

How Mine scored in the 52nd minute through Tapiwa Kumbuyani off a Timothy January freekick which Gilbert Banda had headed back into the box to help Luke Masomere’s side recover from last week’s defeat at FC Platinum.

The gold miners are now on 15 points and third position on the log from fifth but their stay there can last just 24 hours if Dynamos and Highlanders win their respective matches this afternoon.

Tsholotsho remain unmoved at number 11 with eight points.

“We are starting to play well as a team as compared to how we started the season, we are really improving. I’m happy for Charles Sibanda, he has not been playing well,” said Masomere.

Lizwe Sweswe conceded that his team has to work hard on their finishing.

“The boys are playing well, come finishing it’s blank. We didn’t take our chances. We got our chances, we didn’t score, they got one chance, they scored. As long as we lose points, I get worried,” said Sweswe.