HOW MINE… (0) 1 CHICKEN INN… (2) 2
CHICKEN Inn continued with their winning ways in the second half of the season to stay at the top of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League table after beating How Mine at Hartsfield Rugby Grounds yesterday.
BY FORTUNE MBELE
Obadiah Tarumbwa got the ball rolling with the first goal of the match with a shot from inside the penalty box in the eighth minute after he was sent through by enterprising midfielder Innocent Mucheneka.
The GameCocks, eyeing their second league title since promotion to top flight football in 2011, continued with their onslaught on the gold miners and were rewarded seven minutes later.
This time, the goal came from a counter-attack just after How Mine’s youthful player Tanaka Chanengeta had lost the ball in attack, allowing Darryl Nyandoro enough time and space to launch a long-range shot which beat the flat-footed goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya in the 15th minute.
Six minutes before the break, Nyandoro blasted the ball over the bar, with only Diya to beat after coming to the end of a Clemence Matawu cross.
Of late, despite the purple patch that has seen Chicken Inn soar to 51 points from 24 games, coach Rahman Gumbo has been dodging post-match interviews and sending his goalkeepers’ coach Julius Ndlovu, although he is on record saying he is a contender for the league title.
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After the break, Chicken Inn were twice denied increasing their tally by brilliant saves by Diya in the 58th and 64th minutes, with efforts from Christopher Samakweri and Innocent Mucheneka.
How Mine threw everything at Chicken Inn in the second half.
They finally got their consolation goal in the 76th minute when Praise Tonha set up Toto Banda to easily tap in the ball past goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze.
The gold miners remained on position six with 37 points, with coach Kelvin Kaindu saying they gifted Chicken Inn the two goals although they were superior.
“We have lost the advantage of being consistent in local derbies, but I think we were superior against Chicken Inn. It was a balanced game, only that our opponents got the early goals,” Kaindu said.
Teams:
How Mine: M Diya, P Tonha, M Ncube, M Sakala, F Makarati, T Masuku (M Mukumba 69’), T Banda, P Manhanga (T Makanda 57’), K Musharu, P Moyo (C Mudzidzwa 89’).
Chicken Inn: E Chipezeze, P Bernard, D Lunga, M Jackson, B Nyahunzvi, C Matawu, O Tarumbwa (T Kadyaridzire 69’), C Samakweri, D Nyandoro (B Juru 46′), I Mucheneka (I Lawe 83’), T Goredema.
Castle Lager Premier Soccer League results and fixtures at a glance:
Yadah FC 3-1 Bantu Rovers, Bulawayo City 3-2 ZPC Kariba, How Mine 1-2 Chicken Inn, Harare City 2-1 Tsholotsho, Black Rhinos 1-1 Triangle.
Today: All matches kickoff at 3pm — CAPS United v Dynamos (National Sports Stadium), Highlanders v Chapungu (Hartsfield Rugby Ground), Hwange v FC Platinum (Colliery), Shabanie v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Maglas).
