The mid-season break seems to have made no difference for Ngezi Platinum who began the second half of the season with a shock defeat to Herentals, their fourth on the trot, in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.
BY GARISH PHIRI Herentals……………….. (1) 1 Ngezi Platinum………. (0) 0
Ngezi, who looked like they could run away with the title at some point during the first half of the season, suffered a dip off-form which saw them lose three consecutive matches going into the break.
One would have thought that the break would help the former log leaders to refocus and put their league campaign back on track.
Herentals needed a Tinotenda Benza audacious lob 25 minutes into the match to beat Donovan Bernard in goals for the platinum miners and seal victory for the Students.
Tonderai Ndiraya, the visitors’ coach, was fuming after the match.
“It’s a very disappointing result. I thought with the break we were going to regroup and here we have lost the fourth game in a row,” Ndiraya said.
“It’s not a good record. I am very disappointed. We are conceding goals in a schoolboy manner. I don’t expect it at this level of the game.”
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His counterpart Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva had so much praise for his charges.
“It was a very well-displayed match by the boys being the first game of the second half of the season. Tactically we were organised as we stuck to the game plan that we had planned. Looking at Ngezi, it’s a superior side, we had a strategy and we managed to counter, them” he said.
As expected, Ngezi dominated the exchanges, but faltered where it mattered the most, which is in front of goal. Teams:
Herentals: F Kuchineyi, B Maunganidze, C Mavhurume, W Chimbetu, G Chinobva, B Majarira, A Majarira, R Hachiro, B Majarira (J Mutudza 72’), T Benza (Ronald Chishaya 72’).
Ngezi Platinum: D Benard, T Chipunza, L Chakoroma, K Murera, K Bulaji, C Augusto, T Dzukamanja, X Moyo (M Chawodza 77’), T Mabvura (J Nguluve 60’), F Makarati (M Charamba 72’), G Murwira.
