HOW MINE . . . . . . . . . .0 MUTARE CITY . . . . . . . . 0 ZPC KARIBA . . . . . . .(0) 1 TRIANGLE FC . . . . . . . . 0
MUTARE City Rovers were content to leave Luveve Stadium with a point and keep their survival hopes alive when they held How Mine in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match yesterday.
BY FORTUNE MBELE/NUNURAI JENA
With Tsholotsho failing to beat Ngezi Platinum Stars at Baobab, Mutare City still remained two points ahead with 22 points, while bottom-placed Border Strikers are on 14 as they host title-chasing CAPS United at Dulivadzimu today. Mutare City coach Taku Shariwa, who employed a defensive approach in his game against How Mine, said he was confident that his side would not drop from the top league.
“It’s a point gained and every point, especially away from home, is important. It was indeed a crucial point for us. I am very confident of what I am doing. We are going to survive,” he said.
His counterpart Kelvin Kaindu, who is eyeing a top-four finish, was disappointed with the result, saying dropping two points would make it difficult to achieve his target.
“We played a team that came to defend and play for a draw. It’s two points lost and it’s not good for us. We had a couple of chances that we could have scored, but we relaxed,” he said.
In the other match at Nyamhunga Stadium, ZPC Kariba striker Tineyi Chitora came back from a two-month injury layoff with a bang, as he scored the solitary goal that enabled his team to collect maximum points at Nyamhunga yesterday.
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Chitora took advantage of a lapse in concentration by Triangle defenders when he rose unchallenged in the 30th minute to head home a beauty after a good cross by overlapping defender Kunyarimwe Munyaradzi, who was a marvel to watch on the left back.
Despite the win, ZPC Kariba coach Sunday Chidzambwa was not happy with the number of chances wasted by his strikers, which he attributed to the poor pitch.
“Although we bagged three points, we still have a problem of missing so many chances. Our strikers should not sit back after scoring a goal. I don’t know why we play good football away from home, maybe it’s because of our bumpy ground,” he said.
Mandigora blamed his defenders for lack of concentration during the match.
“We lost concentration where it mattered most and that was that . . . We tried, but it was not our day. The heat didn’t affect us as we played better in the second half. We need to do more in order to finish in a respectable position,” he said.
