MWOS' invincibility crumbles at Baobab

The fairytale debut campaign of MWOS in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League came to a dramatic end on Saturday as the newly promoted side suffered a 3-1 defeat to a motivated Ngezi Platinum Stars. The loss marked MWOS's first in 17 matches, ending a remarkable unbeaten streak and costing them the top spot to defending champions Simba Bhora at the halfway mark of the 2025 season.

Ironically, Baobab Stadium was the very venue where MWOS had first announced their arrival on the big stage earlier this year with a stunning victory over Highlanders. Forced to adopt Baobab as their temporary home while Ngoni Stadium underwent renovations, MWOS had enjoyed a fortress-like aura here  -  until yesterday.

From the outset, Ngezi showed urgency, opening the scoring within three minutes. A corner from Ashwin Karengesha caused havoc in MWOS's box. Despite some impressive saves by goalkeeper Martin Mapisa, the ball eventually fell to Ngezi captain Obriel Chirinda, who calmly finished from close range.

MWOS's defense looked unsettled in the absence of suspended stalwarts Tinotenda Mutyambizi and Valentine Katsande. Chirinda continued to trouble the backline and created further chances, though Karengesha's effort went over the bar after a second Mapisa spill.

The visitors fought back in the 19th minute, thanks to Arthur Banda's relentless work on the right flank. His pressured cross found Billy Veremu, who outjumped defenders Polite Moyo and Talent Chamboko to head home the equalizer. Veremu's goal, his tenth of the season, moved him level with TelOne's Washington Navaya atop the league scoring charts.

However, Ngezi soon regained control. The turning point arrived in the 56th minute when a poorly cleared corner fell to Karengesha just outside the box. The midfielder unleashed a fierce shot that soared into the top corner beyond Mapisa's reach.

MWOS's hopes took a further blow in the 70th minute when referee Patrick Kalota controversially denied what appeared to be a clear penalty after Gomezagni Chirwa handled a cross from Jeremiah Makangairwa.

Two minutes later, Chirinda sealed the victory with his second goal of the match and third of the season. Outpacing Innocent Zambezi on the right, Chirinda cut inside and fired a precise shot from a tight angle past a helpless Mapisa.

After the match, MWOS coach Lloyd Mutasa acknowledged the defeat with sportsmanship but expressed frustration over his team's performance. "We knew one day that such a result would come, because such is football," Mutasa said. "But I want to applaud my charges for holding on until today. It's part and parcel of football, we get beaten, but it is not the end of the world."

He added, "We started slowly, conceding under three minutes, and we were a bit shaky. They could have even scored another during that time. We failed to come into the groove in time, eventually we were never there. We were not ourselves today."

Ngezi coach Takesure Chiragwi praised his players for finally turning strong performances into goals. "This was the right time for us to get goals," Chiragwi said. "We've been playing well but just not scoring. Today, we played a very good team on a brilliant run, it wasn't easy. They really wanted to finish the first round unbeaten."

"I'm proud of the boys. We scored three goals for the first time this season, and we collected maximum points. This is the kind of performance we've been building towards."

With the win, Ngezi Platinum Stars climb the league standings and keep their title ambitions alive, while MWOS must regroup and prepare for the challenges of the second half of the season after their unbeaten run came to an end at Baobab.