The Sunday Mail
Harare City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1
Hwange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1
TAURAI MANGWIRO has described his first 10 games in charge of Harare City as pathetic after his team were held by Hwange in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Rufaro yesterday.
Super substitute Honey Chimutimunzeve had given City hope when he headed home a Tendai Samanja free kick in the 74th minute but Hwange forward Newman Sianchali, who had also come on in the second half, spoiled the party with a 95th minute volley.
For the second consecutive week, Mangwiro’s Sunshine Boys agonisingly failed to cross the line after experiencing the same pain last week when they were equalised deep in injury time at Highlanders.
At the end, City players looked totally dejected and the draw seemed more like a defeat rather than a point gained.
“This is not good at all; we have performed dismally in this first third of the season. Five draws in 10 games is not good enough.
“When we play at home we should get three points and today I think I watched the first half from my boys.
“It is so sad we didn’t get the second goal which obviously could have killed off the match. The problem is we didn’t create so many chances and to me these are two precious points lost,” said Mangwiro.
With the draw, Harare City just moved a place up to sixth and missed an opportunity to move into fourth place after Highlanders were beaten 2-1 by Chicken Inn in a Bulawayo Derby played at Barbourfields yesterday.
City will look back at William Manondo’s miss in the 32nd minute when the attacking linkman failed to tap the ball into an open net after he was fed by Munyaradzi Diro Nyenye.
Chimutimunzeve could also have killed off the match as a contest with seven minutes left on the clock when he read well a clever pass from the dangerous Tino Kadewere but his effort crashed against the cross bar.
Just when Mangwiro thought he had registered his fourth victory, Sianchali reacted faster than the City defenders and volleyed the ball home with the last kick of the game.
The goal was a relief for Hwange coach Nation Dube who hasn’t had the best of starts this season.
“I told my boys to keep going, in the end our fighting spirit paid off.
“It is good to pick a point away from home,” said Dube.
Hwange are now 11th on the log standings after picking up five points in the last three games.
Teams
Harare City: T. Dube (M. Nyamupanedengu 65th), M. Nyenye, A. Chiveya, T. Ndlovu, C. Dickson, T. Samanja, J. Jam, M. Vengesayi, W. Manondo (H. Chimutimunzeve 70th), T. Kadewere, P. Bamusi (N. Ziwini 62nd).
Hwange: T. Sibanda, P. Dube, D. Boriwondo, A. Chuma, M. Mungadze, C. Muleya, I. Mucheneka (N. Sianchali 73rd), F. Vimisayi (T. Chese 87th), G. Zulu, C. Banda (G. Ndlovu 86th).
