ZPC Kariba . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Chicken Inn . . . . . . . . . . (1) 3
CHICKEN Inn coach Prince Matore has demanded consistency from his resurgent team following their latest win, this time over ZPC Kariba in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.
Yesterday’s win catapulted them to third position on the league table.
An early Malvin Hwata goal in the fourth minute put the visitors ahead in this eventful match which kicked off 10 minutes late because Chicken Inn goalkeeper Bernard Donovan had to be forced by the match officials to change his playing kit twice.
The kit drama did not end there. Hwata's goal came when ZPC Kariba had a player sent back to the dressing room to change his socks.
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Tafadzwa Kutinyu doubled the visitors' lead four minutes after the restart with a composed finish from a Brian Muza cutback.
Substitute Genious Mutungamiri's angled shot on the hour mark put the game beyond ZPC Kariba’s reach.
It almost got even better for Matore's men, but Michael Charamba's shot at the deathcame off the cross bar and substitute Brighton Ncube could not sort his feet well to put away the rebound, leaving his coach and other members of the technical team in stitches.
But in truth, the scoreline was flattering for Chicken Inn because ZPC Kariba dominated play, especially in the first half and created better chances which the players took turns to miss.
The victory was the second on the trot for the 2015 league champions who beat log leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars last week, and their coach Matore was happy with his boys’ performance.
However, he wants his players to constantly show that sort of performance.
“The win is good for the team and it gives confidence to our youngsters because we are trying to instil consistency because when you win one game, draw and then lose it doesn't do any good to the team. We need to win consistently,” Matore said.
The GameCocks moved to third position on the log with 18 points, two behind the league leaders.
“This year it’s tough, everyone is doing well so if you collect points you are happy. What is important is to collect as many points and see how far we go,” he said.
ZPC Kariba coach Newsome Mutema blamed the defeat on fatigue.
After a spirited performance in which his team totally dominated their more fancied opponents in the first half and had two genuine penalty shouts turned down, they just collapsed in the second half.
Mutema's team is on 14th position, with 11 points.
“The difference was in conversion of the chances,” Mutema noted. "We had a lot of chances in the first half, but we failed to convert. They had theirs in the second and they scored.
“Travelling is taking a toll on the team because every week we are travelling more than 800kms for matches and it's very difficult for the players to recover. Because of the travelling, it's difficult for the players to maintain the consistency but you could see how we try to manage it by moving the ball around and trying to be creative but at the end of the day, we don't last the distance.
"Chicken Inn are also a good side, so we lost to a good side. They wanted it more than us."
The good news for ZPC Kariba is that their home ground Nyamhunga Stadium has since been given the greenlight to host league matches.
Teams
Zpc Kariba: T Chilenga, F Shoko, I Nekati, M Diro, M Kunyarimwe, P Tellmore, S Makawa (W Munorwei, 77'), C Muleya, L Murape, F Dhemere, M Demera (A Karengesha, 82')
Chicken Inn: B Donovan, B Muza (B Ncube, 78') D Jaricha, M Bhebhe, G Majika (G Mutungamiri, 50'), S Mhlanga, C Dzingai, V Moyo, M Hwata (X Ndlovu, 50'), T Kutinyu (D Khumalo, 78'), M Charamba
Follow Henry on Twitter @henrymhara