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Tonderai Ndiraya

Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
Ngezi Platinum skipper Liberty Chakoroma believes they need to work harder after leading the newboys to the final of the Chibuku Super Cup tournament in their debut season. The platinum miners continued with their fairytale run in the tournament when they overcame the odds and brushed aside giants Highlanders 1-0 at their Barbourfields fortress. Chakoroma scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot after Highlanders defender Peter Muduhwa had handled the ball.

The former Young Warriors defender was still in triumphant mood yesterday with a final date against 2014 tournament winners FC Platinum beckoning on November 5. “We are just a small team and so it means a lot for us to qualify for the finals of the Chibuku Super Cup. This is our first season in the Premiership and it looks good.

“We are enjoying it. “However, it wasn’t easy at Highlanders. They are not an easy opponent, but I had the feeling that we could beat them on Sunday. “So I kept encouraging my teammates and it was great that I scored the winning goal,” said Chakoroma.

Since they defeated Hwange 3-1 in the first round, Ngezi Platinum have had a dream run in the tournament. They followed that up with a 4-1 thrashing of Tsholotsho in the quarter-finals to underline their stature as the most prolific team in the tournament this year.

The Tonderai Ndiraya-coached side have bagged eight goals in three Chibuku Super Cup matches. From the beginning, very few had given them a chance, but Ngezi Platinum are living their dream in the competition.

Although they stand a good chance to play in the CAF Confederation Cup next year if they win the Chibuku Super Cup, Chakoroma yesterday maintained the Premiership newboys need to keep their feet on the ground.

“It’s true we are only 90 minutes away from glory. But this calls for us to work very hard if we hope to lift the silverware. We have to put in everything for those 90 minutes,” said Chakoroma.

“We are still the underdogs and we hope to draw inspiration from the experiences that we have had in this tournament. “We have faced some difficult matches along the way, but somehow we managed to pull through.

“It was all through hard work and team effort. “Our coach has been very influential. He has been there for us, giving the encouragement that we needed,” said Chakoroma. The Premier Soccer League yesterday said they were still consulting with stakeholders on the venue of the final.

The final will feature teams from platinum mining backgrounds after FC Platinum became the first to secure their slot in the final with a 3-0 win over outgoing champions Harare City at Mandava on Saturday. Rodwell Chinyengetere, Charles Sibanda and Marshall Mudehwe scored for the Zvishavane side.

But the game was marred by ugly off-field antics by the FC Platinum supporters who deflated all of the Harare City balls. According to the draw, Harare City were the home team and their balls were in use for the match. However, some unidentified FC Platinum supporters deflated all the five balls so that their team’s balls would be used.