BULAWAYO CITY . . . . . (0) 0 FC PLATINUM . . . . . . . (0) 1 FC PLATINUM left it very late to snatch victory and open a five-point lead in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match that was dominated by Bulawayo City at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.
Rodwell Chinyengetere came to the end of an Ian Nekati cross with a header a minute before the final whistle for the league pacesetters to complete a double over Bulawayo City after edging them by the same score line two weeks ago.
FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza admitted after the match that his charges were lucky to leave BF with three points.
“It was a very difficult game for us. We had to make a double substitution in the second half and that helped us move forward. Luck was on our side, we got a goal at the end of the game. Sometimes you need the luck. I was going to be satisfied with a draw. There is a lot of pressure being at the top, but the most important thing is to get the results,” Mapeza said after the match.
Charles Sibanda made his second debut for FC Platinum after his mid-season move, but was replaced by Walter Musona in the 46th minute, while Nqobizitha Masuku also came in for Gerald Takwara.
The only goal of the match came as Bulawayo City central defender Peace Tshuma was receiving medical attention after he collided with Makai Kawashu in the 86th minute. FC Platinum capitalised on his absence, piling pressure at the end to get the elusive goal as Chinyengetere also took advantage of a mistake by the goalkeeper Liberty Chirava as the cross came in.
Four minutes earlier, Platinum could have scored after back-peddling Chirava was caught off-guard by Marshal Mudehwe, but his effort hit the left-upright post with the goalkeeper beaten.
It was Bulawayo City who could have won that match had they not squandered a number of chances, but they were let down by their forwards Mkhokheli Dube and Eddie Nkulungo. The home side’s coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube was a disappointed man.
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“A loss is a loss. There is no good loss. We go home empty-handed. The goalkeeper [Chirava] lost concentration from that time that ball hit the post and he is playful. We had two or three chances but we could not convert. And the turning point was the injury of Peace Tshuma. We have just donated three points, just like we did in the last game. We are dominating play in all our matches but we are not scoring,” Ncube said.
The Bulawayo City coach also felt his team should have been awarded a penalty by the match referee Nduna Nkosana in the 65th minute when Emmanuel Mandiranga appeared to have been infringed by FC Platinum goalkeeper Petros Mhari.
TEAMS: BULAWAYO CITY: L Chirava, B Chikwenya, M Kadzola (L Ncube, 84), P Tshuma, Z Sibanda, K Madzongwe (H Ncube, 63), X Moyo, S Ndlovu, E Mandiranga (I Kutsanzira, 69), E Nkulungo, M Dube FC PLATINUM: P Mhari, I Nekati, G Bello, E Moyo, K Moyo, W Mhango, R Chinyengetere, G Takwara (N Masuku, 46), C Sibanda (W Musona, 46), M Kawashu (W Kamudyariwa, 88), M Mudehwe
BY FORTUNE MBELE
