Trouble at Makepekepe

Ishemunyoro Chingwere in GWERU
Chapungu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) 3
Caps United . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0Caps United had a nightmarish outing yesterday as they crumbled at the hands of a fired-up Chapungu in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Ascot Stadium.

A brace from striker Rodwell Mhlanga and a wonder goal by exciting winger Gift Phiri, who was at Makepekepe last season, knocked the lights out of a clueless Caps United whose players staged an industrial action on the eve of the encounter.

Makepekepe players nearly boycotted the match and only fulfilled the fixture after some cajoling from the team’s technical department just before kick-off.

They made the journey from Harare to Gweru on match day without influential player Hardlife Zvirekwi who chose not to travel in protest against the non-payment of bonuses. Caps United coach Taurai Mangwiro blamed the off-field incidences for his team’s demise.

“You work with players for the whole week but some decide to pull out of the team at the last minute as was the case with Zvirekwi whom we thought we could count on today (yesterday). It is unfortunate that the blame is always on the coach, but I have no control over some of these things which I obviously cannot elaborate on,” he said.

Aside from Caps United’s in-house problems, hosts Chapungu put up one of their best performances at Ascot this season as they were all over Makepekepe from the first whistle.

They raced to an early lead with Mhlanga heading home a cross from Charles Mativenga in the third minute.

Striker Callisto Maheya spurned two glorious chances in the first 25 minutes as the airmen threatened to run over their opponents. The visitors thought they had found the equaliser after 27 minutes of action but hard running striker Dominic Chungwa’s strike was ruled out for offside by referee Philani Ncube.

The fired-up Mhlanga completed his brace in the 66th minute as he coolly converted a neat lay-off by Farai Manase, who had out-sprinted Caps United skipper Tapiwa Khumbuyani. Phiri heaped more misery on his former paymasters when his 25-metre drive, shot from an acute angle, was too much for Makepekepe goalie Jorum Muchambo.

Chapungu coach John Nyikadzino felt his lads ought to have inflicted more damage on the visitors. “A scoreline of 3-0 cannot be a bad result, but we could have scored more,” he said.