How Mine hold Chicken Inn

Sport
Chicken Inn . . . . . (0)0 How Mine . . . . . . . (0)0 AN impressive How Mine held champions Chicken Inn to a goalless draw in an exciting Bulawayo Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Luveve Stadium yesterday.

Chicken Inn . . . . . (0)0 How Mine . . . . . . . (0)0 AN impressive How Mine held champions Chicken Inn to a goalless draw in an exciting Bulawayo Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Luveve Stadium yesterday.

BY FORTUNE MBELE

The gold miners’ right-back Praise Tonha had a brilliant afternoon shutting out Edmore Chirambadare, who usually gives opposition defenders a torrid time.

Obadiah Tarumbwa also had a bad day in office on the Chicken Inn right wing where he was kept at bay by Qadir Amini, with How Mine skipper Tapiwa Kumbuyani and Marshall Machazane also impressive in the centre-back.

Chicken Inn were denied two goals by the crossbar in the 21st minute when Michelle Katsvairo beat goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya after he was set up by veteran midfielder Clemence Matawu.

A header by Tafadzwa Kutinyu from a cross by Chirambadare also hit the cross bar right at the death.

Chicken Inn head coach Joey Antipas said it was a tense game and the goalless draw was the fair result.

“It was a typical derby; tense and exciting. It was a game of very few chances and we were just unfortunate the entire 90 minutes. We can do much better. It was more or less the fair result. I want to give credit to How Mine for coming up with a good game. We just have to improve a bit in our next game,” Antipas said.

Chicken Inn are now on seven points from the first three matches.

How Mine defended well, with Zambian Makundika Sakala, striker-turned-anchorman holding fort in the centre, playing a fairly attacking type of football with Pasca Manhanga, Charles Sibanda and Tsepo Ranthokoane, but lapsed on the final third.

Sibanda had a good game with fancy footwork, but How Mine’s attack fizzled when he was pulled out injured in the 68th minute.

How Mine coach Kelvin Kaindu said it was always not going to be easy playing the reigning champions in the derby.

“We anticipated it was not going to be easy. Chicken Inn are the team of the moment, winning week-in week-out. It’s good that we have not been beaten, but there is still a lot of work to be done for a team that did not win a single game in the second half of last season,” Kaindu said.

How Mine are also yet to lose a game, with five points from two draws and a win.

Teams: Chicken Inn: E Chipezeze, D Lunga, P Bernard, L Mhlanga, M Jackson, D Phiri, T Kutinyu, M Katsvairo, C Matawu (M Demera 82’), E Chirambadare, O Tarumbwa (G Majika 71’) How Mine: M Diya, P Tonha, Q Amini, M Machazane, M Sakala, T Kumbuyani, C Sibanda (A Muganyi 68’), P Manhanga, T Ranthokoane (F Chirinda 83’), K Musharu, T January (T Masuku 52’)