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Tobias Mandoreba in Hwange
Hwange……………………………..(1) 2
Shabanie Mine………………………..0
HWANGE’S quest to avoid relegation at the end of the season received a major boost as the coalminers put up a brilliant performance to silence Shabanie Mine in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at the Colliery yesterday. The home side were in a business mood from the first whistle and had it not been for a hearty performance by the agile Shabanie goalminder Victor Twaliki, coupled by Hwange’s lack of precision in front of goal, the Zvishavane side would have gone back to their base with an embarrassing rugby scoreline defeat.

In the end however, two lovely goals by Isaac Masame in the 37th minute and Nkosana Siwela in the 56th minute demonstrated that Hwange are determined to avoid relegation. As early as the third minute Hwange came threatening when lanky defender Munyaradzi Mungadze outjumped the entire Shabanie defence to power a header which missed the target by a whisker.

Shabanie’s response to the early threat by the hosts was a snap shot at goal two minutes later which was blocked by lanky Hwange defender David Boriwondo.

After that the visitors went into the “freezer’’ for the entire opening half.
Some relentless Hwange pressure saw the coalminers being awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box in the 10th minute which almost resulted in a goal after Eric Chipeta’s blistering pile driver found Twaliki alert on duty as he bravely parried the effort back into play. The hosts were not finished as they continued to pile pressure and another chance went begging in the 20th minute when young midfielder Oscar Lungu produced the miss of the afternoon when he came at the end of a delicate cross from Siwela only to miss the target from a few metres out with the Hwange bench already celebrating.

Ten minutes from half-time a two-man move involving Masame and Farai Vimisai ended with the former unleashing a blistering volley which Twaliki acrobatically punched out for a corner.

With Shabanie still to regroup Vimisai hit the crossbar with another fine effort moments after Twaliki’s save before the visitors ran out of luck in the 37th minute when Masame put his name on the scoresheet with a powerful volley from the edge of the box. Whatever dosage was administered by the self-proclaimed “Doctor of Football” Luke Masomere at half-time to his lads failed to take effect as his team again started the last half missing in action.