SIMBA BHORA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1)1
NGEZI PLATINUM STARS . . . . . . . . . .0
NGEZI Platinum Stars’ title aspirations suffered a substantial blow yesterday, as a lethargic first half display condemned the 2023 champions to a defeat at the hands of Simba Bhora.
It represents a second loss in three outings for the visitors, whose momentum was abruptly halted at Wadzanayi Stadium.
Having shown signs of recovery with a weekend victory over MWOS, which followed a first defeat of the campaign against Dynamos last week, Ngezi were expected to mount a serious assault on the summit.
Instead, they began proceedings in remarkably sluggish fashion, paying the ultimate price for a first-half performance during which they rarely managed to shift out of second gear.
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The decisive breakthrough arrived in the 18th minute.
Nomore Tsabora did the initial industrious work, dispossessing Tinotenda Ditima before finding McCartney Nawaseb.
The Namibian squared an intelligent pass into the path of man-of-the-match Blessed Ndereki, who slid the ball home to cap off a period of sustained dominance.
It was a deserved reward for the hosts, who had already seen a prior Ndereki effort ruled out for an infringement on Ngezi goalkeeper Marion Chang.
Had Simba Bhora been more clinical, the contest might have been settled before the halftime interval.
Harison Masina was particularly wasteful.
The forward blasted wide when clean through on goal in the 14th minute, hesitated inside the box moments after the opener and saw a 25th-minute strike chalked off by the linesman’s flag.
Just before the break, Masina was denied again when his goalbound effort was cleared off the line following more clever orchestration from Nawaseb.
The defeat leaves Ngezi static in fourth position with 28 points at the halfway stage of the season, squandering a golden opportunity to draw level with pace-setters Hardrock.
Reflecting on the setback, Ngezi head coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva refused to panic.
“It’s a missed opportunity,” Mutiwekuziva admitted. “But it is not a major worry to me, looking at where we are and where we’re coming from. At the same time, the games are still on.
“This is just the last game of the first half of the season, which gives us a lot of hope that the championship will be decided later.”
For Simba Bhora, the victory acts as a vital tonic, snapping a painful four-match winless streak that included a comprehensive 3-0 drubbing by Hardrock at the weekend.
The three points lift them to ninth on the table with 24 points from 17 matches, offering immense relief to manager Mandla Mpofu, who had found himself under mounting scrutiny.
Ngezi did emerge as a different beast after the restart, dominating territory and asking serious questions of the hosts’ rearguard.
Marvelous Mukumba wasted a glorious chance to parity on the hour mark, directing a tame header straight into the grateful arms of goalkeeper First Gandisani.
The introduction of winger Tanaka Munemo injected further urgency and pace into the visitors’ attack, instigating a late flurry of chances, but Simba Bhora’s defence stood resolute to secure the points.
A visibly relieved Mpofu praised his side’s resilience in the face of the late onslaught.
“The thing I will appreciate the most is the players’ character and the fighting spirit,” Mpofu said.
“These guys fought from the first whistle until the last minute. On a good day, we could have gone 2 or 3 goals up in the first half with the opportunity that we created.
“And this is the spirit that I’ll demand from the boys going forward. I just hope this win is a start of a new phase.”
Teams
Simba Bhora: F Gandisani, W Tafa, E Kennedy, L Chaziya, I Nyanhi, N Tsabora, T Chipunza, B Ndereki, T Kuleya (A Silla, 50’), H Masina, M Naweseb (E Gwekwerere, 75’)
Ngezi Platinum Stars: M Chang, G Chirwa, L Kashitigu, P Moyo, F Madhanhanga, B Katumba (N Muzenda, 88’), M Mukumba, T Ditima (T Munemo, 46’), A Karengesha (Q Amini, 75’), M Gaki, O Zvavarevi (M Eddison, 56’)