Sports / Soccer
Musona off the mark in Germany
27 Oct 2011 at 06:12hrs | Views
WARRIORS talismanic forward Knowledge Musona was handed his first start by his club TSG Hoffenheim and the Zimbabwean international responded by scoring his first goal for the Bundesliga outfit to help them beat FC Cologne in a German Cup second round encounter at the Rhein-Neckar Arena on Tuesday night.
Musona - who since his arrival at Hoffenheim has had to contend with making substitute appearances, often coming on in the last 25 minutes of each game - fired home the winner five minutes into the second half to give his side a 2-1 win.
According to reports from Germany, the Warriors hitman struck after Nigerian Chinedu Obasi had cancelled out Mato Jajalo's opener for FC Cologne in the first half.
The Hoffenheim against FC Cologne encounter was the only clash of Bundesliga clubs in the second round of the German Cup.
Until Tuesday night when he was handed his first start the former Kaizer Chiefs striker and reigning South African Premiership top scorer's five previous appearances for Hoffenheim had been from the bench.
Musona had a delayed start to life at Hoffenheim after sustaining a hamstring injury in his first full training session with his new club. That injury meant that Musona missed the first four League games of the season as well as the Warriors' penultimate 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Liberia at the National Sports Stadium on September 4.
But soon after being certified fit again, Musona was an unused substitute when he was included in the Hoffenheim team for the first time in what was also his club's fifth league assignment, which ended with a 4-0 triumph over Mainz 05 on September 10.
Since that game, the 21-year-old striker has featured in all the five league games that the club has played prior to Tuesday night - all as a substitute.
But with his performance on Tuesday night Musona is now expected to get his first start in a Bundesliga game, which would be a big boost for the striker who has made no secret of his intentions of making an early impact in Germany.
Musona - who since his arrival at Hoffenheim has had to contend with making substitute appearances, often coming on in the last 25 minutes of each game - fired home the winner five minutes into the second half to give his side a 2-1 win.
According to reports from Germany, the Warriors hitman struck after Nigerian Chinedu Obasi had cancelled out Mato Jajalo's opener for FC Cologne in the first half.
The Hoffenheim against FC Cologne encounter was the only clash of Bundesliga clubs in the second round of the German Cup.
Musona had a delayed start to life at Hoffenheim after sustaining a hamstring injury in his first full training session with his new club. That injury meant that Musona missed the first four League games of the season as well as the Warriors' penultimate 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Liberia at the National Sports Stadium on September 4.
But soon after being certified fit again, Musona was an unused substitute when he was included in the Hoffenheim team for the first time in what was also his club's fifth league assignment, which ended with a 4-0 triumph over Mainz 05 on September 10.
Since that game, the 21-year-old striker has featured in all the five league games that the club has played prior to Tuesday night - all as a substitute.
But with his performance on Tuesday night Musona is now expected to get his first start in a Bundesliga game, which would be a big boost for the striker who has made no secret of his intentions of making an early impact in Germany.
Source - HeraldOnline
