BY FORTUNE MBELE/ TERRY MADYAUTA
BULAWAYO CITY . . (1) 2
YADAH . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
WHAWHA . . . . . . . . . . . 0
TRIANGLE . . . . . . . . . . 0
BULAWAYO City eased their relegation troubles when they edged visiting Yadah in a balanced Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.
A brace by Genius Mutungamiri was all that the local authority side needed to secure victory over a determined Yadah.
Mutungamiri was on target three minutes before the break after unleashing a thunderbolt inside the penalty box, sent through by veteran Obadiah Tarumbwa.
He packed a left-footer in the 69th minute after a solo run beating goalkeeper Panashe Nyabunga all systems out.
City coach Farai Tawachera was ecstatic after the victory.
“We have been working very hard to try and get the three points. We created the chances but did not convert all of them. It was a difficult game but we got the two goals and we thank the Almighty God. Today we made sure we don’t concede and lay a foundation going forward,” Tawachera said.
The 21-year-old Mutungamiri had hit the upright 15 minutes into the game when he came to the end of a Leslie Lunga cross.
Yadah coach Genesis Mangombe said they played well but failed to defend. “We failed to defend our lines. We kept possession in both halves but our conversion was poor. I knew it was going to be a tricky game. We are losing points at a very critical stage. But playing away from home these things you have to encounter,” Mangombe said.
Meanwhile at Ascot Stadium, ten men WhaWha and Triangle settled for a share of spoils in a drab Castle Lager Premier Soccer League encounter. Triangle gaffer Jairos Tapera was disappointed with the result as he felt had failed to collect points against the league’s basement side.
“It was a case of two points lost for us because in terms of possession we were dominating them throughout the match,” Tapera said.
“We really expected to win but it was unfortunate that we got a point. We did well and I hope next time we will get goals. At least three or four.”
Triangle were on the front foot from the onset, with Donald Ngoma and Gerald Bhero causing all sorts of problems to the prison wardens.
The hosts had goalkeeper Allan Masaya to thank as he repelled efforts from Takunda Mkunga and Misheck Ngwenya in the first fifteen minutes.
Masaya also repelled Bero’s effort from point blank range to keep the Lowveld side at bay going into the half-time break.
WhaWha were reduced to ten men on the stroke of halftime when Munyaradzi Chirwa received two yellow cards in a space of ten minutes. The wardens, however, returned from the break with more sting after the introduction of Calum English Brown and Obert Zinyama.
They hit the upright two minutes after the restart when Brown set up Raymond Horonga whose sizzling shot from close range hit the upright with Triangle goalie rooted at one spot. Action swung from end to end for the better part of the second half but a goal remained elusive for both sides.
WhaWha coach Luke Petros was satisfied with the result.
Castle Lager Premier Soccer League results and fixtures
Yesterday: Black Rhinos 2-1 Chicken Inn, Ngezi Platinum Stars 0-0 FC Platinum, Harare City 0-0 Bulawayo Chiefs, Bulawayo City 2-0 Yadah, Whawha 0-0 Triangle United
Today: Manica Diamonds v Cranborne Bullets (Sakubva), Highlanders v CAPS United (Babourfields), Herentals v Tenax (National Sports Stadium)