WhaWha win at last

By The Standard and Newsday | Mar. 14, 2022 | 3 Min read

In this one, though, the Miracle Boys started with so much attacking intentions and they could have scored in first minute through former Dynamos midfielder Godknows Mangani, who forced goalkeeper Terrence Chiku to do a reflex save after heading a curling cross from Tanaka Gahadzikwa.

BY TERRY MADYAUTA

WHAWHA . . . . . . . . . (0)1

YADAH FC . . . . . . . . . . (0)

WhaWha finally collected their first set of maximum points since their return to the topflight following a narrow 1-0 win over Yadah FC at Ascot Stadium in Gweru yesterday.

Jayden Barake was the toast of the day for the prison wardens after netting the priceless goal in the 65th minute.

This was undoubtedly a battle of strugglers, with both teams remaining firm relegation candidates after this weekend.

For WhaWha the win lifted them only as far as the 16th position with 5 points, while Yadah dropped to 17th place where they have 4 points.

WhaWha themselves have been the league’s punching bag as they were coming from a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Caps United, in a campaign they have conceded 20 goals after seven rounds of fixtures.

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The first 30 minutes were promising for the Miracle Boys, but WhaWha soaked in the pressure and turned on their screws as they headed into the second stanza.

The wardens came back with more agility after the break, but their only glorious opportunity came on the 65th minute from a defensive blunder and an unmarked Barake was clinical to pick the spot with the Yadah goalkeeper at his mercy.

Yadah tried hard to equalise but the wardens gallantly defended their goal to earn them their first victory this term.

After the win, Luke Petros heaved a sigh of relief, especially that this was their first win, a result that might have just saved his job.

“The changes we made coming into this game really did make an impact, especially the goalkeeper, who was making his league debut, he made crucial saves that carried the day for us,” Petros said.

“Winning at home means a lot to us because that is important to survive relegation. We are still in the relegation matrix and this win will go a long way in giving us confidence.

“We are not going to be over-excited because there is a lot that needs to be improved.”

His counterpart Genesis Mangombe cut a sombre figure as he admitted that losing to WhaWha was least expected.

“The boys never listened to our tactics. We created many chances, but failed to score which is disappointing. The team is struggling, but I hope they can pick themselves up in the next assignment.

“You know it is disappointing, when you do better with bigger teams and go on to lose to smaller once. It’s disappointing because we could have won this match in the first half,” Mangombe said.

WhaWha: T Chiku, R Useni, J Gadzani, A Matope, E Muzanenhamo, N Tshuma (X Ncube 46′), T Jukulile( R Horonga 82′), T Daka, A Matewu (D Nyamukondiwa 67), J Barake, D Mapuwa( E Mawanda 60′).

Yadah: R Chiminga, G Mangani, L Mucheto, N Mhlanga, T Shandirwa, K Mhendere, G Tanaka, K Mangani, T Mataya ( P Kafelapanjila 77′), T Mutyembizi( B Ndereki 57′), C Mandivei ( R Matema 66′)