Sports / Soccer
Mapeza, Chiragwi paint the town red
26 Nov 2017 at 22:18hrs | Views
It was a battle of supremacy and survival on Saturday at both Ascot stadium in Gweru and at Maglas stadium in Zvishavane.
Both FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine, who hail from the same mining town of Zvishavane were hoping to make a mark in their last day of the Premier Soccer League.
However, there was so much pressure for both gaffers, Norman Mapeza and Takesure Chiragwi who represent FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine respectively.
Mapeza's boys were one hand shy of clinching the prestigious silverware for the very first time and Chiragwi's lads had one leg outside the relegation zone.
It was FC Platinum who were first to set up the tempo as Rodwell Chinyengetere drew the first blood for his team in the first minute, through a sensational cross from Nqobizitha Masuku which he headed in to create the opener.
Four minutes into the game Tendai Chikuni's side Chapungu, were once again caught off-guard and it was Masuku yet again, who was the mastermind behind the second goal of FC Platinum courtesy of Makhokheli Dube who in turn passed it to Ali Sadiki who then landed it at the back of the net.
Despite having the home ground to their advantage, Chapungu failed to pull one back in the first half and they went to the break trailing.
On the other side of the Midlands province, neither Yadah nor Shabanie managed to bag anything in the first 45 minutes.
However, the second half was a different scenario as Shabanie, once again proved that passion is more rewarding than a paycheck.
11 minutes into the second half Shabanie Mine's sensational striker, Farai Mupasiri once more, rose up to the occasion and opened the gates for the Chinda Boys as they are alternatively known.
Another chance came by in the 70th minute but Chiragwi's boys failed to capitalize. However, ten minutes later, Maxwell Murimi sealed the fate of the visitors and at the end Yadah succumbed to a 2 nill defeat.
As a result of this, Shabanie finished on 12th position with 42 points. Chiragwi clearly cemented his statement when he said his team was going to fight till the end and it was a euphoric moment for him. However, Mupasiri said that his future was uncertain on whether he was to leave or stay with the Chinda Boys regardless, he said Shabanie was his home.
Meanwhile at Ascot stadium, Chinyengetere and Sadiki's goals were sufficient enough to lead Mapeza to the promised land. However, Mapeza said that it wasn't an easy victory as there was pressure from within FC Platinum as a result of having come second in last seasons Premier League as well as being two points ahead of Dynamos who were also vying for the title. Regardless, he thanked his players, fans and the technical team for their undying support.
Both FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine, who hail from the same mining town of Zvishavane were hoping to make a mark in their last day of the Premier Soccer League.
However, there was so much pressure for both gaffers, Norman Mapeza and Takesure Chiragwi who represent FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine respectively.
Mapeza's boys were one hand shy of clinching the prestigious silverware for the very first time and Chiragwi's lads had one leg outside the relegation zone.
It was FC Platinum who were first to set up the tempo as Rodwell Chinyengetere drew the first blood for his team in the first minute, through a sensational cross from Nqobizitha Masuku which he headed in to create the opener.
Four minutes into the game Tendai Chikuni's side Chapungu, were once again caught off-guard and it was Masuku yet again, who was the mastermind behind the second goal of FC Platinum courtesy of Makhokheli Dube who in turn passed it to Ali Sadiki who then landed it at the back of the net.
Despite having the home ground to their advantage, Chapungu failed to pull one back in the first half and they went to the break trailing.
However, the second half was a different scenario as Shabanie, once again proved that passion is more rewarding than a paycheck.
11 minutes into the second half Shabanie Mine's sensational striker, Farai Mupasiri once more, rose up to the occasion and opened the gates for the Chinda Boys as they are alternatively known.
Another chance came by in the 70th minute but Chiragwi's boys failed to capitalize. However, ten minutes later, Maxwell Murimi sealed the fate of the visitors and at the end Yadah succumbed to a 2 nill defeat.
As a result of this, Shabanie finished on 12th position with 42 points. Chiragwi clearly cemented his statement when he said his team was going to fight till the end and it was a euphoric moment for him. However, Mupasiri said that his future was uncertain on whether he was to leave or stay with the Chinda Boys regardless, he said Shabanie was his home.
Meanwhile at Ascot stadium, Chinyengetere and Sadiki's goals were sufficient enough to lead Mapeza to the promised land. However, Mapeza said that it wasn't an easy victory as there was pressure from within FC Platinum as a result of having come second in last seasons Premier League as well as being two points ahead of Dynamos who were also vying for the title. Regardless, he thanked his players, fans and the technical team for their undying support.
Source - Daniel Itai
