It is no secret that the most-followed football competitions at the club level are the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League. Fans from across the globe gather to watch the most expensive and best-paid athletes in the world perform their magic week in and week out.
Even the soccer odds analysis is centred around the top European competition – it is not often that you see articles discussing who are the favourites to win the Thai League 1 (it is Buriram United, in case you were wondering).
Nevertheless, a fan can watch Manchester City keep 69% possession or Real Madrid win their 100th UEFA Champions League title only so often. Sometimes it is worth taking a look at the local leagues like the Zimbabwe Premier League. Although it may lack in quality, it definitely makes up for it in entertainment value, as some matches from the 2024 season will confirm.
Dynamos 2-2 Ngezi Platinum: Banger Goals!While the central match of Round 9 was being played elsewhere (more about it later), those fans that tuned in for Dynamos vs Ngezi Platinum certainly did not regret it.
Dynamos, the most decorated club in the country but largely unlucky in recent years, hosted Ngezi Platinum, the defending champions.
The local side started strong, opening the score through Valentine Kadonzvo, whose volley from the edge of the box caught the goalkeeper by surprise. However, the visitors turned the score around before the referee whistled half time. The equaliser came after a vertical counter-attack, while the second goal was a marvellous strike from far out by Farai Madhanaga.
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Dynamos returned for the second half full of determination, and shortly after a goal ruled out for offside, Freddy Alick made the score 2-2 with a thunderbolt of a free-kick from the distance. The teams got one point each – a shame that you cannot give both teams the win!
Manica 1-0 Platinum: A Match That Reignited the Title RacePlatinum FC have been Zimbabwe's most successful club in recent years, with four titles in the past seven years. They missed out on the title in 2023 but looked firm on their way to another golden season. At least it looked like that until Round 9.
On that day, Manica Diamonds, the runner-ups from last year, took on Platinum at home. The visitors were coming off a surprise loss to ZPC Kariba and were in dire need of a positive result, but the Mutare locals had other plans.
The match was an intense battle between two equal opponents, with scoring opportunities on both sides. ClubSport or another platform with football forecasts could probably predict such a scenario for a clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, probably.
In the end, it was Manica who came on top that day, scoring the only goal of the game with just one minute of regular time left. At the moment of writing, just three points separates league-leaders Platinum from their rivals Manica. The title race is on!
Ngezi Platinum 0-2 Platinum: Revenge for the VisitorsPlatinum FC have gotten used to their status as the biggest team in the league, and it must have hurt when they lost the title to Ngezi Platinum in 2023. Already in Round 2, the team from Zvishavane had the opportunity to channel that anger into something productive, as they paid a visit to the defending champions Ngezi Platinum.
Platinum FC started strong, opening the score in under 10 minutes with a neatly-executed corner kick. The hosts quickly recovered and created several scoring chances, from inside and outside the box, but the visiting goalkeeper was simply too good that day. And when he could not save his team, the goalpost did.
The guests did not crumble under the pressure and doubled their lead in the second half, with Wilfred Muvirimi getting his brace and setting the final score. It was a disappointing day for the defending champions, and a clear message sent by Platinum FC.