Chicken Inn . . . . (4) 5 Blue Rangers . . . (0) 1 Chicken Inn recorded their biggest win this season when they thumped relegation-threatened Blue Rangers 5-1 in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League played match at Luveve Stadium on Wednesday.
Report by Sukoluhle Mthethwa, Sports Reporter
Within only 15 minutes of action in the first half, Chicken Inn were already four up, with the goals coming from Thabani Goredema in the fourth minute, a brace from Thomas Chimenya in the eighth and 10th minute
Brian Mbiriri and Kudakwashe Mahachi added a goal each in the 14th and 69th minutes.
Talent Munetsi pulled a facesaver for Blue Rangers five minutes before time.
Chicken Inn remained fourth on the log table with 46 points from 27 games while Blue Rangers slipped down to third from the bottom with 24 points from the same number of games.
Blue Rangers’ survival now hinges on the performance of Black Mambas, Gunners and Hwange in the final three matches. Blue Rangers coach Partson Ndabambi conceded that they lost the match in the opening stages of the game.
“We lost the plot in the first 15 minutes. After 25 minutes we started dominating right up to the end, but it did not help. Our tactics backfired on us. We tried to pull one back by introducing someone who was technically sound so as to do damage control,” he said.
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Chicken Inn gaffer Adam Ndlovu was naturally happy with the result. “We never changed our strategy. We used the same strategy we have been using since game one. We were four goals up in the first 17 minutes because I spoke to the boys before the match that small teams always give us problems, so we had to change our attitude towards the game,” he said.
Goredema thrust Chicken Inn into the lead in the fourth minute when his shot hit the cross bar and bounced into the nets from a Mahachi cross.
Chicken Inn controlled the match in the early stages getting their second goal from Chimenya, who was back to torment the defence two minutes later with another goal.
Before a handful of Chicken Inn supporters could settle down Mbiriri added the fourth from a free-kick outside the box.
Guide Goddard tapped the ball towards Mbiriri whose blistering shot could not be handled by Blue Rangers keeper Pedzisai Gumiremhete.
Seeing that Chicken Inn were on fire, Ndabambi made two quick substitutions in the 17th minute introducing Macdonald Motsi for Charles Manjera and six minutes later, bringing in Norest Mukwezaramba for Lawrence Mdluli.
Substitute Danny “Deco” Phiri sprang a Blue Rangers offside trap sending the ball to Moses Jackson who in turn spotted Mahachi who beat Gumiremhete with a powerful shot.
The introduction of Munetsi for Effort Kopeni in the 76th minute paid off for the visitors after he took advantage of a lapse in concentration to pull one back.
