Chicken Inn………0 Highlanders…..(1) 4
CHICKEN Inn suffered their biggest defeat of the season, to fall further behind in their race to win the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League in their match against Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.
BY FORTUNE MBELE
Simon Munawa notched a brace with the other goals coming from Godfrey Makaruse and veteran Ralph Matema, as the Bulawayo giants exorcised the Chicken Inn ghost, having only beaten the Gamecocks once in the league since 2011. Highlanders deserved the win as they outclassed Chicken Inn from the onset, getting their first goal in the 26th minute through Munawa who slid the ball past goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze inside the penalty box off a Tendai Ngulube cross.
They ran riot in the second half scoring three goals inside eight minutes with Makaruse blasting the ball into the nets after defender Devine Lunga had cleared a Matema effort off the line in the 52nd minute.
Four minutes later, Munawa got his second with a curler past Chipezeze after he was set up by Gabriel Nyoni, who troubled Physwell Madhazi who was thrust on right-back yesterday.
Chicken Inn gaffer, who had tinkered with his side for the Highlanders match, shifted Madhazi to the left in the second half and brought Lunga to the centre, moving Passmore Bernard to the right.
On the half-hour mark, Matema shrugged off a challenge from Lunga inside the box from a Munawa pass. It was Chicken Inn’s third league defeat in a row after losing to Yadah and Caps United and their coach Rahman Gumbo has made it custom to avoid post-match interviews.
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Disappointed Chicken Inn officials were also seen trickling down the terraces as Highlanders mounted the onslaught. “It’s football, it happens. We made a lot of mistakes trying to go forward and they hit us on the counter-attack. We still have seven games to go, it’s still game on,” Ndlovu said. The Gamecocks remain on the fourth spot on the log-table with 51 points, chasing leaders Dynamos who are now five points ahead.
Highlanders just moved one step up the ladder to position nine after the second win in the second half of the season and coach Erol Akbay was a relieved man after a win had been elusive for the Bulawayo giants. “I hope the bad luck is now off our back after the win. We have been playing well but not scoring. I am happy with what I saw today,” Akbay said.
Teams:
Chicken Inn: E Chipezeze, P Bernard, D Lunga, T Goredema (I Lawe 57′), M Jackson, C Matawu, P Madhazi, C Samakweri (T Kadyaridzire 57′), K Gurure, I Mucheneka, C Dhuwa (B Sibanda 35′)
Highlanders: N Madeya; B Ncube, H Moyo, E Mudzingwa, P Muduhwa, T Ngulube, G Makaruse, S Munawa (B Banda 70′), R Matema (N Ndlovu 64′), R Kutsanzira (A Gahadzikwa 77′), G Nyoni
