ZPC KARIBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
MANICA DIAMONDS. . . (0) 3
FORTUNE Binzi scored a second half brace as Manica Diamonds recorded their second victory of the season with a victory over a wasteful ZPC Kariba at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.
Bret Amidu opened the scoring on 54th minute before Binzi sealed the win in a 10-minute blitz to subdue the hosts.
The result saw the Jairos Tapera-coached side climb to fifth place on the log standings with eight points, three behind leaders Caps United, while ZPC Kariba are on 12th, with seven.
Tapera was excited his team managed to bounce back to winning ways after they lost their last match.
“I’m a happy man, happy for the boys that gave us the three goals. I’m also happy for my technical team, a group of young hardworking group as well as the executive. Everybody is trying to give us the support that eventually gives us this kind of results,” he said.
“We won the match in defence, that included the goalkeeper. We were so solid at the back. We played Trevor Mavhunga as one of the central defenders, and Kevin Gwao on the right side of defence and it paid off. Together with my captain (Liberty Chakoroma), the defence was solid throughout the match.”
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He also had praises for Binzi.
“He came in because our first choice central striker Donald Ngoma is injured. But with the way he has been working hard this young boy, I’m happy for him. I’m hoping he will remain level-headed for the next matches.”
It was ZPC Kariba though who carved out some good opportunities especially in the first half, and their coach Darlington Dodo was left to rue them after his side just collapsed at the start of the second half.
“We created a lot of chances in the first half. We had good control of the game, we played the way we wanted to. Unfortunately, we could not convert,” Dodo said.
“When we came back from the break, I don’t know why the players switched off. The first 10 minutes we were just flat, allowing the opponents to probe our goal area and when you defend very low and close to your goalkeeper like we did, you are bound to make mistakes. We presented opportunities for them because they were just coming with a long ball and we stayed too deep which was wrong. We conceded goals within that period then all of a sudden we started playing again, probing the opponents but our conversion was lacking.”
Manica Diamonds had not won on all their previous visits to Harare this term and might have found themselves trailing, but were saved by a cross bar from Kudzanai Dhemere’s scuffed shot early on.
The visitors did settle in the game as the half wore on and had at least five clear opportunities, which all fell on Ralph Kawondera, who was just wasteful.
The hosts kept pressure on the visitors, with Dhemere picking Moses Demera with a pinpoint cross, but the striker headed tamely at goal.
In a first half full of chances, Dhemere also had the ball tangled onto his feet which allowed the goalkeeper Tedius Bare to close him down and safely collect it.
Tapera’s men grew in confidence in the second period, but didn’t offer much until the 55th minute when Amidu showed great composure inside the box by beating two markers before slotting home an angled shot that went in through a forest of legs.
Three minutes later, Binzi doubled the lead when he was found by a Gerald Bero pass to go clear on goal and fired through the legs of the exposed goalkeeper Tapiwa Chilenga.
The former Yadah man completed his brace just after the hour mark, this time with a brilliant individual goal.
He picked the ball just after the centre line on the left channel before accelerating towards goal.
With many expecting him to cross the ball, he squeezed the ball between the near post and the goalkeeper from an acute angle.
The game opened even more afterwards as both teams continued to create good chances, which they could not put away.
Teams
ZPC Kariba: T Chilenga, K Madima, M Mukiwa, M Diro (T Pio, 66'), W Mhango, B Mutukure, C Muleya (E Feremba, 66'), T Chiunye (I Nekati, 66'), L Murape (S Makawa, 66'), K Dhemere (F Shoko, 66'), M Demera
Manica Diamonds: T Baye, K Gwao, F Banda, T Chisi, T Mavhunga, L Chakoroma, R Kawondera (C Teguru, 82'), B Amidu (B Chikwenya, 88'), F Binzi, T Chamboko, G Bero (P Manhanga, 88')
