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Munyaradzi Diya

Ricky Zililo in BULAWAYO
How Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1
Bulawayo City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) 2
TWO first half goals by Newman Sianchali and Ishmael Wadi were enough to secure maximum points for 10-man Bulawayo City as they moved four points clear of relegation trouble. Bulawayo City went into yesterday’s match at Luveve under pressure for a victory to save their ship from sinking as they were only a point above relegation. Bulawayo City and How Mine played the opening stages with high tempo.

In the eighth minute, Sianchali beat the offside to fire past the miners’ goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya. A defensive lapse by How Mine rightback Praise Tonha ended in Bulawayo City winning a penalty after the defender pulled down Wadi in the box. Instead of clearing the ball, Tonha tried to guide it to Diya, but Wadi applied the pressure on the defender before being pulled down in the box.

Wadi then took responsibility and doubled City’s lead from the penalty spot. How Mine should have scored just after the half-hour mark when Tsepo Ranthokoane unleashed a long-range shot that was punched back into play by Bulawayo City’s goalkeeper Ndodana Sibanda, but striker Godfrey Nguwodzawo’s effort from the rebound was weak. Sianchali held his head in disbelief when his curler from the edge of the box hit the crossbar with Diya beaten in the 45th minute.

How Mine returned from the break a more determined side, forcing their opponents back and Bulawayo City were reduced to 10 players in the 69th minute when referee Philani Ncube flashed a red card to Zephaniah Ngodzo for a lunge on a How Mine player. How Mine finally breached City’s defence in the 86th minute, getting their goal from Marvelous Mukumba, punishing their opponents’ defence which took long to clear the ball.

“This is a good win for us. We came to grind the result and we got it. I appreciate the hard work, the fighting spirit shown by the players, especially in the first half. “It’s still a long way to go and we will continue with our fight,” said Mandla Mpofu, the Bulawayo City coach. His How Mine counterpart Kelvin Kaindu said they paid dearly for their mistakes.

“Today we rested most of our senior players because we need them for the Chibuku Super Cup semi-final match against Shabanie Mine at the weekend. “I felt that most of the players are seasoned and veterans, the time to recover for the Cup game, which would have been their third game inside seven days, wouldn’t have been enough.”

Teams
How Mine: M. Diya, P. Tonha (T. Banda, 51st min), B. Mbiriri, S. Nyambabvu (T. Chanengeta, 33rd min), F. Makarati, N. Ndlovu, A. Muganyi, M. Mukumba, T. Makanda, G. Nguwodzawo, T. Ranthokoane

Bulawayo City: N. Sibanda, A. Tandi, Z. Ngodzo, N. Mukumbi, M. Kadzola, R. Pavari, I. Kutsanzira, T. Ndlovu, C. Rupiya (H. Ncube, 73rd min), N. Sianchali (M. Moyo, 80th min), I. Wadi (E. Nkulungo, 90th min)