The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
ZPC Kariba . . . . . . (0) 2
How Mine . . . . . . . (1) 2Stubborn Premiership debutants ZPC Kariba staged a late, late comeback to salvage a draw and remain unbeaten when they held high-flying How Mine in a battle of veterans at Gwanzura Stadium yesterday.
How Mine, who moved to the top of the table for the second time this season, thought they had wrapped up the game as the clock hit the 85th minute mark with the Bulawayo-based gold miners in the driving seat courtesy of 2-0 lead.
However, goals from Pride Tafirenyika and unheralded left winger Trevor Chikede saw ZPC Kariba restoring parity after they had fallen behind after conceding goals from Edmore Muzanenhamo and Kuda Musharu.
ZPC Kariba remain fourth, two points adrift of How Mine who are now on 17 and lead the pack at least until this afternoon.
When almost everyone in the stadium, probably including the ZPC Kariba players themselves, had resigned to fate, the exciting Tafirenyika pulled one back when he scrambled the ball home from inside the six-yard box in the 89th minute.
Two minutes later, the diminutive Chikede found himself unmarked near the penalty spot after the How Mine central defence temporarily went to sleep and rifled home the equaliser that stunned the visitors.
The leveller left How Mine coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube furious.
He was also involved in an exchange of harsh words with ZPC Kariba team manager Partson Ndabambi and had to be restrained by some members of his backroom staff.
The bulky Ncube felt Gweru referee Thomas Masaa should have blown for an infringement on one of his players in the build-up to Chikede’s equaliser.
Apart from the post-match controversy, How Mine played some silky football orchestrated from the midfield by the ageless Menard Mupera and raced into a 10th-minute lead when linkman Muzanenhamo’s 20-yard drive proved too much for ZPC Kariba goalie Tendai Hove.
Striker Kuda Musharu took his tally to eight just six minutes after the restart when he headed home a corner from Muzanenhamo, before Chikurupati crumbled dramatically in the dying stages.
“We nearly switched off the power station, but luckily for them, they had generators in the form of the referees,” a furious Ncube said.
Meanwhile, Chicken Inn dismissed a battling Chapungu 2-1 at Luveve to move one place up to ninth position.
