The Sunday Mail
Don Makanyanga
Sports Reporter
Herentals…………………………………….0
Yadah……………………………………..(0) 2
GODKNOWS Mangani rose from the bench to fire a second-half brace in a Chibuku Super Cup tie yesterday and ended Yadah’s win-less run in the tournament.
Both Yadah and Herentals arrived at the National Sports Stadium for the early Group One game carrying the ignominious tag of being without a win since the competition started.
Mangani came on for Nkosilati Mhlanga at the start of the second half and grabbed his brace in the 70th and 75th minute.
The win saw the Miracle Boys moving from the bottom of Group One to fourth spot.
They are now tied on five points with ZPC Kariba.
Their victory left coach Genesis Mamombe a relieved man.
It also revived hopes of securing a place in the quarter-finals.
“The win was long overdue. We have been assured of scoring chances in every game that we have played so far in the tournament but we were not clinical in front of goal.
“It’s now game on and I am happy that we are back in the race, and now we have to try to maintain the momentum going into the second phase of the group stage.
“I am confident that we can progress to the next round. We have not been a bad side; it’s only that luck has not been on our side,” said Mamombe.
Despite slumping to the basement of the Group One table with two points, Herentals gaffer Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva refused to throw in the towel.
“Chances are now slim but we are not giving up yet. We will fight till the end. Miracles do happen in football.
“We are now going into the next round of the group matches and we have to be at our best,’’ he said.
He blamed his side’s loss to missed chances.
“Had we managed to bury the chances that came our way, we could be talking a different thing now, but that’s football for you.
“It is a problem that we have been having and everyone is worried with how we are failing to convert chances that are coming our way.”
True to his words, Herentals had better chances of winning as they created numerous scoring chances in both halves of the game, but just like in previous games, the Students have been wasteful in front of goal.
Skipper Blessing Majarira got golden opportunities twice in the game but did the difficult thing of missing the target than scoring.
In the end, they were punished for wasting clear-cut chances as Yadah skipper Mangani, who has been benched in previous matches, came off the bench in the second half to hand his team the much-needed victory.
He came to the end of a Fortune Binzi cutback in the 70th minute, before tapping in a rebound from a powerful free-kick by Issa Sadiki in the 75th minute.
