A SOLITARY strike by Rodwell Chinyengetere propelled FC Platinum to the apex of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League table as they went on claim a hard-fought victory over relegated Tsholotsho at Luveve Stadium yesterday.
BY SAKHELENI NXUMALO Tsholotsho . . . . . . 0 FC PLATINUM . . . (0) 1
The championship hopefuls huffed and puffed their way to victory against a stubborn Tsholotsho and their coach Norman Mapeza was the first to admit that although they managed to achieve their objective of collecting maximum points, the victory had not come on a silver platter.
“It was a difficult game and it was not easy for us, but we realised our objective and managed to go home with the three points and at the end of the day, I am happy with the result,” he said.
“This was a massive three points for us and when you grind out a result after such a difficult game, it shows that you are moving in the right direction.”
Pure Platinum Play will face fellow platinum miners and championship rivals Ngezi Platinum Stars in their next encounter in a match that could decide the destiny of the league title and Mapeza admitted that the encounter will be a must-win for his side.
“It’s another massive game for us and I think with our two-point lead, the pressure will be on us to win against Ngezi so that the race is done and dusted, but we have to work very hard,” he said.
The visitors struggled to break down a compact Tsholotsho midfield in the first half and on the occasions that they did, they tried to walk the ball into the net instead of taking shots at goal.
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As the frustration of failing to find the target grew, the FC Platinum technical team introduced striker Brian Muzondiwa for midfielder Nqobizitha Masuku on 38 minutes and two minutes later, their left-back Elvis Moyo saw his header punched away for a corner by impressive Tsholotsho keeper Chang Marion.
Poor finishing continued to haunt the visitors after the halftime break with Chinyengetere the chief culprit and on 49 minutes, he shot weakly at goal after some good work by Mkhokheli Dube.
Chinyengetere made amends on 54 minutes when he headed home a Charles Sibanda cross following a sustained spell of pressure.
Former Hwange attacker Chinyengetere spurned a good opportunity to grab a brace after again shooting weakly at Marion when he was cleverly set up by a Sibanda dummy.
Another good chance fell for Dube, whose header was blocked by Marion using his legs with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Tsholotsho coach Darlington Dodo said his charges had played well despite finishing on the losing end.
“In terms of playing well, I think we matched them. As much as they missed many chances, we also created our own chances that we could have buried,” he said.
FC Platinum are now on 66 points and enjoy a two-point lead over second-placed Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum Stars in third position.
Teams:
Tsholotsho: C Mariyoni, N Siwela, X Ndlovu, T Nyabinde (L Vundla 80), B Madanhire, M Phiri, M Mushonga (A Halungu 67), S Mhlanga, C Nkomo (A Ncube 67), L Nyathi, T Moyo.
FC Platinum: W Magalane, I Nekati, G Bello, K Moyo, E Moyo, W Mhango (G Takwara 67), R Chinyengetere (R Muduviwa 84), N Masuku (B Muzondiwa 38), A Sadiki, C Sibanda, M Dube
