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TelOne humbles struggling Scottland at Rufaro
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Scottland 0 - 1 TelOne FC
A moment of brilliance from Panashe Mutasa was all TelOne needed to edge past Scottland 1-0 in a tightly contested Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash at Rufaro Stadium yesterday.
Mutasa, picking up a loose ball wide on the right early in the second half, delivered what looked like a hopeful cross. But the ball curled wickedly over goalkeeper Nelson Chadya and nestled into the far corner, stunning the Scottland defence and sending the TelOne bench into wild celebrations.
It was Mutasa's second goal in three matches, following his match-winner last week that ended GreenFuel's impressive unbeaten home record in Chisumbanje. His strike yesterday proved decisive again, securing three vital points for the WiFi Boys.
The win lifts TelOne to third on the log standings with 28 points at the halfway mark of the season. They now sit just six points behind table-toppers MWOS FC, who have a game in hand.
TelOne coach Herbert Maruwa hailed his side's discipline and tactical execution after the match.
"It was a good game from the boys. They were able to get the points from Scottland's side," Maruwa said. "Our game plan worked. We knew they were going to wait for us to make a mistake, so I told my guys to clear our lines well. It worked. We scored and managed to defend as a team."
For Scottland, the result compounds their recent struggles. The defeat was their third of the season and leaves them with just one win in their last five outings — not counting the abandoned fixture against Chicken Inn. The club remains in fourth place with 27 points from 16 matches, one behind TelOne.
Coach Tonderai Ndiraya, under increasing pressure to turn around results for his star-studded squad, blamed the loss on fatigue from a congested fixture schedule.
"In terms of chance creation, we did well. I thought we should have scored a couple of goals in the first half," Ndiraya said. "In football, if you don't take your chances, that's the difference. The other team got their chance and scored."
He added: "We played here on Sunday, travelled to Chisumbanje for a Wednesday fixture, came back on Thursday, and had to play again today. That's three games in eight days, and it's taken a toll on our players. Still, I'm proud of the effort they put in under tough conditions."
The first half saw balanced exchanges, but TelOne came closest to breaking the deadlock when midfielder Nigel Makumbe unleashed a thunderous strike five minutes before the break, forcing a superb save from Chadya.
With momentum and confidence now firmly behind TelOne, coach Maruwa will be hoping his side can maintain their charge in the second half of the season. For Scottland, urgent answers are needed to revive their faltering campaign.
A moment of brilliance from Panashe Mutasa was all TelOne needed to edge past Scottland 1-0 in a tightly contested Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash at Rufaro Stadium yesterday.
Mutasa, picking up a loose ball wide on the right early in the second half, delivered what looked like a hopeful cross. But the ball curled wickedly over goalkeeper Nelson Chadya and nestled into the far corner, stunning the Scottland defence and sending the TelOne bench into wild celebrations.
It was Mutasa's second goal in three matches, following his match-winner last week that ended GreenFuel's impressive unbeaten home record in Chisumbanje. His strike yesterday proved decisive again, securing three vital points for the WiFi Boys.
The win lifts TelOne to third on the log standings with 28 points at the halfway mark of the season. They now sit just six points behind table-toppers MWOS FC, who have a game in hand.
TelOne coach Herbert Maruwa hailed his side's discipline and tactical execution after the match.
"It was a good game from the boys. They were able to get the points from Scottland's side," Maruwa said. "Our game plan worked. We knew they were going to wait for us to make a mistake, so I told my guys to clear our lines well. It worked. We scored and managed to defend as a team."
For Scottland, the result compounds their recent struggles. The defeat was their third of the season and leaves them with just one win in their last five outings — not counting the abandoned fixture against Chicken Inn. The club remains in fourth place with 27 points from 16 matches, one behind TelOne.
Coach Tonderai Ndiraya, under increasing pressure to turn around results for his star-studded squad, blamed the loss on fatigue from a congested fixture schedule.
"In terms of chance creation, we did well. I thought we should have scored a couple of goals in the first half," Ndiraya said. "In football, if you don't take your chances, that's the difference. The other team got their chance and scored."
He added: "We played here on Sunday, travelled to Chisumbanje for a Wednesday fixture, came back on Thursday, and had to play again today. That's three games in eight days, and it's taken a toll on our players. Still, I'm proud of the effort they put in under tough conditions."
The first half saw balanced exchanges, but TelOne came closest to breaking the deadlock when midfielder Nigel Makumbe unleashed a thunderous strike five minutes before the break, forcing a superb save from Chadya.
With momentum and confidence now firmly behind TelOne, coach Maruwa will be hoping his side can maintain their charge in the second half of the season. For Scottland, urgent answers are needed to revive their faltering campaign.
Source - The Standard
