TelOne humble Scottland in Rufaro thriller

Panashe Mutasa’s wonder goal early in the second half condemned flamboyant side Scottland to their third defeat of the season at Rufaro Stadium yesterday.

Mutasa, picking up a loose ball wide on the right, delivered what appeared to be a cross, only for it to bypass goalkeeper Nelson Chadya and nestle into the net at the back post.

This marked Mutasa’s second goal in three games, following his crucial strike last weekend that ended GreenFuel’s unbeaten home run in Chisumbanje.

The victory propelled the WiFi Boys to third on the log standings, with 28 points at the halfway stage of the season.

They now trail log leaders MWOS FC by six points, though MWOS FC still has a game in hand today.

TelOne coach Herbert Maruwa expressed his delight with the win over one of the league’s top teams.

“It was a good game from the boys. They were able to get the points from Scottland’s side. Our game plan worked. We knew they were going to wait for us to make a mistake, so I told my guys to make sure to clear our lines well. It worked, we scored and managed to defend as a team,” he stated.

For Scottland, the defeat means they have just one victory in their last five games, excluding their abandoned tie against Chicken Inn.

Pressure continues to mount on coach Tonderai Ndiraya as his star-studded side struggles for consistent results. They currently sit in fourth place with 27 points from 16 matches.

Ndiraya attributed the defeat to fixture congestion, with his team playing three matches in an eight-day span.

“Today, we did very well. In terms of chance creation, I thought in the first half we were supposed to score a couple of goals. We got chances that we couldn’t put away. So in football, if you don’t take your chances, that’s difficult. The other team got their chance and scored. So basically, that’s it,” Ndiraya explained after the match.

He added: “I’m proud of the boys, the way they put in the shift today. If you consider how we tried to manage recovery, we played here on Sunday and travelled to Chisumbanje for a Wednesday fixture. We came back on Thursday and played through the day. So if you look at the time in between the fixtures and the recovery period, it was very difficult for our players to get into the best possible physical shape. However, under those circumstances, we saw some good energy from the players.”

The early exchanges were balanced, but TelOne crafted the best chance of the first half when Nigel Makumbe forced a brilliant save from Chadya with a spectacular long-range shot five minutes before the break.

The final score: Scottland (0) 0 TelOne FC (1). The Standard

*Bikita deepen Tapera’s woes*

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By Henry Mhara, The Standard – Bikita Minerals clinched a crucial 1-0 victory over Manica Diamonds at Gibbo Stadium yesterday, a result that plunges coach Jairosi Tapera’s tenure into further uncertainty as his side slumped to their third consecutive Castle Lager Premier Soccer League defeat.

The decisive goal came in the first half from an Innocent Masiwa strike, leaving the embattled Tapera with mounting pressure.

The “Lithium Boys”, who currently lack a permanent home ground and previously shared Sakubva Stadium with Manica Diamonds, showed no mercy to their former cotenants.

Red-hot forward Masiwa capitalized on a defensive blunder by Ask Rupande, calmly slotting the ball past the stranded goalkeeper Tedius Bare for his sixth goal of the season.

This defeat marks Manica Diamonds’ third successive 1-0 loss, following identical results against CAPS United and Highlanders.

Frustration among Manica Diamonds fans, already vocal after last week’s loss to Highlanders, will undoubtedly intensify after yesterday’s performance in the Lowveld.

A visibly displeased Tapera lamented his team’s defending and their inability to convert chances.

“We were not expecting to lose in this ground and against Bikita Minerals. But I think we did well overall. Our defending was poor, yes, but we were always there. We attacked well, we couldn’t finish off. We made one mistake, a terrible mistake from our defenders and that was the difference, but such is football. We need to sit down, and try to see the positives from this match and move forward,” he said.

While Manica Diamonds’ management has remained publicly silent on Tapera’s position, patience is surely wearing thin.

The club’s top hierarchy was present at Gibbo, witnessing yet another toothless display from their team.

Manica Diamonds, with only one win in their last eight matches, now sit in 10th position on the log standings at the halfway stage of the season with 20 points.

Bikita Minerals moved up to 12th, just a point behind the Mutare-based side.

Victorious coach Wilson “TD” Mutekede, whose side bounced back from a midweek defeat to league champions Simba Bhora, lauded his players’ performance.

“We are happy to have collected three points today,” the former Zifa technical director said.

“Maximum points have been eluding us even after good performances, but today we won. It was a tight contest. Both teams really exerted themselves well, but we are happy to have gotten a goal. We could have probably gotten two more, but we didn’t, and we made the game so difficult for us at the end.”

The result further solidifies Bikita Minerals’ impressive home record at Gibbo.

They remain unbeaten in six attempts at the venue since switching base from Sakubva Stadium a few months ago.

“It (Gibbo) has become a fortress. Ever since we shifted to this place, we have not lost a game. We’re happy about that,” added Mutekede, who specifically praised defender Carlton Munzambwa.

Deputising for Chelsea Nyakope (who was ineligible to play against his parent club), Munzambwa applied himself well and managed to keep Manica Diamonds at bay.

Both sides entered the match seeking a victory after midweek defeats.

Manica Diamonds started brighter, with Fortune Binzi having an eighth-minute effort ruled out for offside, and Charles Teguru flashing a shot wide ten minutes later.

At the other end, goalkeeper Tedius Bare punched away a fierce effort from Tadiwa Musariranwa as the home side found their rhythm.

The breakthrough for Bikita came when Rupande was dispossessed receiving a short pass from Lawrence Mhlanga, allowing Masiwa to run clear and beat Bare.

Musariranwa should have doubled the lead moments later but failed to connect with a Masiwa chipped pass.

The winger and Blessing Kagudu found much joy on the right wing, but their final pass often lacked precision.

Bikita Minerals started the second half strongly, believing they had doubled their lead, but Spencer Mugariri’s goal was flagged offside.

Manica Diamonds pushed for an equaliser, with substitute Issa Sadiki injecting pace into their attack.

In the 83rd minute, Farai Banda’s guided header, off a Fortune Binzi bicycle kick, was heroically cleared off the line by Munzambwa, as Bikita Minerals held on to repel the visitors’ late onslaught. The Standard