BY FORTUNE MBELE
TELONE . . . . . . . . (0) 1
HARARE CITY . . .(1) 1
HARARE City missed a twice taken penalty and then had a man sent off in dramatic fashion as they were held by TelOne in an incident-filled Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Luveve Stadium yesterday
After Ishamel Wadi had put his side in front in the ninth minute, City had a chance to double their advantage when they were awarded a penalty on the half hour-mark when the goal scorer was brought down inside the box.
He dusted himself to take the penalty kick, but his effort was saved by goalkeeper Raphael Pitisi. The referee ordered a re-take claiming an infringement by Pitisi and Wadi passed the responsibility to the team’s first choice penalty taker Moses Muchenje, who also couldn’t beat Pitisi.
Muchenje tried a follow-up on his shot, but in the process, crudely stepped on Pitisi and earned himself a straight red card from the referee.
With an extra man advantage, TelOne pushed for an equaliser, which duly arrived 10 minutes after the break when Emmanuel Mandiranga headed home after latching onto a cross by his captain James Jam from the right flank.
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The home side pushed for the winner, which never came as City held on for dear life for the remainder of the match.
TelOne coach Jairos Tapera was, however, not happy with the draw, saying it still leaves them stuck in a precarious position on the log standings.
“It was not a good result for us playing at home.It leaves us in a difficult position. We were slow in the first half and better in the second, equalised and that was it. We should now go a gear up to get maximum points,” Tapera said.
Hillary Bakacheza came in for Emmanuel Zinyama and changed the game for better for TelOne in midfield. Harare City assistant coach Mark Mathe rued the penalty miss and the red-card to Muchenje. “We started off well and created more chances, but missed two penalties. If we had been more clinical, we could have won the game. But we take the point,” he said. His boss Mark Harrison did not attend the match, as he is said to be back home in England attending to personal issues.
TEAMS
TelOne: R Pitisi, T Chikore, F Bushiri, M Chigumira, I Zambezi, J Jam, E Zinyama (H Bakacheza, 46’), T Hapazari (E Chigora, 25’), E Mandiranga, F Nkala, B Sibanda (F Muza, 75’)
Harare City: M Nyamupangedengu, M Machazane, C Mujuru, M Diro-Nyenye, T Chimwemwe, W Mukanga, M Muchenje (red card, 34’), T Tavengwa, K Musharu (D Chimwemwe, 79’), I Wadi (A Chihowa, 87’), M Vengesai (T Pio, 65’)
