Chicken Inn.................................(1)3
Bikita Minerals...............................0
Chicken Inn have almost condemned Bikita Minerals to the corridors of division one football with an emphatic victory at Luveve Stadium yesterday afternoon.
Bikita Minerals' hopes of survival are hanging by a thread, as they will now hope that ZPC Kariba defeats Bulawayo Chiefs at the same venue this afternoon to go into the last game with a slight chance of surviving the dreaded chop.
Brighton Makopa thrust Chicken Inn into the lead with a rebound from a shot by Elshmar Farasi after 20 minutes that struck the woodwork and bounced back into play.
Makopa picked up the loose ball and fired home; his effort hit the underside of the crossbar before trickling into the net.
Keep Reading
- Chicken Inn knockout Harare City
- FC Platinum 8 points clear as Chicken Inn falters again
- Panashe Mutasa comes of age at Tenax FC
- Dynamos back to winning ways
Although Bikita tried hard to bounce back into the game, they failed to break down the Chicken Inn defence, marshalled by Itai Mabunu and Lincoln Mangaira. Chris Kambira, another outstanding player in the 2024 season, was having a field day on the right channel for Bikita Minerals.
After the break, Genius Mtungamiri scored the second goal after he neatly controlled a brilliant pass by Irvine Munkombwe that bisected the Bikita central defensive pairing. His positive touch set him through before chipping it over an advancing Tizayi in the 63rd minute.
Leeroy Ndlovu was fouled at the edge of the box as the Gamecocks went on overdrive and they were awarded a free kick.
Michael Charamba took the responsibility and bent it like David Beckham, expertly tucking it to the top corner, to ensure an emphatic victory for the Gamecocks after 87 minutes of action.
Joey Antipas, the Chicken Inn coach was thrilled with the victory.
"It was a good win for us. We wanted to win this game, being our last game at home. So, we wanted to finish off with a good win, which we got. In the first half, I thought we dominated. I thought they came back strong in the 10 to 15 minutes of the second half. We made adjustments and assumed control once again," said Antipas.
Bikita Minerals assistant coach Arnold Jani felt the suspension of key players Praise Tonga and Prince Milanzi affected their game plan.
"Yes, we lost, but we came here wanting a win. Today, we wanted a win, but we met some challenges on our way to Bulawayo, which I think affected some of the players in the team. But anyway, we are not throwing in the towel. We are now focusing on our next match at home against Hwange," said Jani.
Fixtures Today
Dynamos v Manica Diamonds
TelOne FC v Arenel
Bulawayo Chiefs v ZPC Kariba
Chegutu Pirates v CAPS United
Yadah FC v GreenFuel
Hwange v Highlanders