ZPC KARIBA . . . . .. . . . . .(1) 1 CHICKEN INN . . . .. . . . . .(0) 0 A SOLITARY goal by ZPC Kariba striker Tineyi Chitora was enough to sink defending champions Chicken Inn at Nyamhunga Stadium yesterday.
By Nunurai Jena
Chicken Inn, who had gone for 270 minutes without conceding a goal in the Castle Premier Soccer League, found the home team unyielding despite controlling the game for the better part of the match.
ZPC Kariba stunned Chicken Inn by taking the lead after 37 minutes through Chitora, who had a good game upfront. Chitora took advantage of a mix-up between defender Moses Jackson and keeper Elvis Chipezeze in the 37th minute to poke the ball home, much to the delight of the home fans.
A long clearance by ZPC Kariba defender saw Chipezeze coming off his goal area when Jackson seemed to have the ball under control, but somehow Chitora came from nowhere to tap the ball over the advancing keeper.
The GameCocks tried to look for the elusive equaliser as they pressurised the home team, but found ZPC Kariba keeper Tendayi Hove outstanding in goals.
Chicken Inn continued to search for the breakthrough, forcing seven corner kicks in the last quarter of the first half.
In the second half it was a tale of missed chances from both sides as Chicken Inn continued to dominate.
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Sensing danger, ZPC Kariba coach Sunday Chidzambwa brought in Limited Chikafa for Tawanda Nyamande to steady the ship.
Chikafa could have doubled the score in the 70th minute, but he shot weakly at Chicken Inn keeper in a one-on-one situation.
Chicken Inn felt hard-done when ZPC defender Thomas Sweswe handled inside the box, but referee Nomore Musundire blew to end the match.
The GameCocks mobbed Musundire, but he stood his ground. Chicken Inn coach Joe Antipas said they would regroup and move on, but felt hard-done by the referee.
“It’s all part of the game. I thought we conceded a soft goal and some brilliant goalkeeping by ZPC Kariba denied us the equaliser. It was a clear penalty, but the referee had other ideas,” said Antipas.
Chidzambwa said he saw nothing wrong with the officiating and praised his players for a job well done.
“I’m happy that we have won, but we still have to work on the combinations. As for the penalty, the time was already up,” said Chidzambwa.
Teams: ZPC Kariba: T Hove, T Munyanduri, M Kunyarimwe, T Sweswe, S Appiah, L Zvasiya, E Meleka, P Kabwe, T Chawapihwa (G Mangani 73), T Chitora, T Nyamandwe (L Chikafa 65) Chicken Inn: E Chipezeze, D Lunga, P Bernard, L Mhlanga, M Jackson, D Phiri, T Kutinyu (P Tafirenyika 65) M Demera (I Lawe 76), C Matawu, E Chirambadare, O Tarumbwa (G Majikwa 65)
