Ngezi Platinum Stars.... (3)6
Hwange FC ................(0)0
Striker Takunda Benhura scored four goals as defending league champions Ngezi Platinum Stars fired six past a hapless Hwange FC as they make a late bid to renew their title defence at Baobab Stadium yesterday.
Benhura won the golden boot last year as Ngezi Platinum Stars bagged their first league title with 13 goals.
The four goals mean that Benhura moves into contention for this seasons' golden boot with 10 goals, two behind the three joint top scorers Khama Billiat, William Manondo and Lynoth Chikuhwa who have 12 each.
Two other goals came from teenager Tanaka Munemo, who opened his account in the senior team and Obriel Chirinda.
After the result Ngezi Platinum Stars moved into third place on the log standings; 46 points from 28 matches and are still 14 points behind leaders Simba Bhora although they have played a game less.
If they win their other outstanding game against Dynamos, the platinum miners will come within 11 points of the pacesetters.
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Ngezi Platinum Stars assistant coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva was pleased with the performance and remains hopeful that the team can defend their league title.
"It was a good game, a good scoreline and a good performance that the team has produced today. A harvest of goals is what we want to see and the accuracy in front of goal so we are happy," Mutiwekuziva said.
"We need to keep on climbing up the ladder because it's not over until it's over. We have to keep on fighting (for the league title). Football is funny, anything can happen so we should not give up until the last game."
Benhura opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour flicking a Qadr Amini cross into the back of the net.
Barely eight minutes later Munemo doubled the scores with Chirinda making it three to the good for the hosts after 30 minutes.
Benhura scored his second goal of the match soon after the hour mark and completed his hat-trick five minutes before full time.
The young forward netted his fourth and the team's sixth in stoppage time.
The visitors could have gotten a consolation goal, but veteran striker Dominic Chungwa missed a stoppage time penalty kick.
Coach Rodwell Dhlakama was a disappointed man.
"I think it was the wrong approach from the onset. The way we played in the second half was very disappointing and the goals we conceded could have been avoided had we carried the right mentally into the game. We owe this kind of performance to fatigue that is the way we travelled to the game and then the gulf of class between the two teams also contributed a lot in this disappointing performance," Dhlakama said.
"At the end of the day we need to regroup and go back to the drawing board and try to see the best way to approach the next game against ZPC Kariba.
"This was an outstanding game and we wasted it. Had we won we could have reduced the deficit between the team that occupies the last slot before the relegation zone. We have five games remaining which is 15 points and we have to do something in the remaining matches if we are to entertain hopes of remaining in the PSL."
