FORMER Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions Ngezi Platinum Stars secured a vital 2-1 win against title contenders Simba Bhora at Baobab Stadium on Saturday, extending their remarkable unbeaten run and crucially, setting their sights on a top-three league finish.
The Mhondoro-Ngezi side produced a gutsy come-from-behind performance, overturning a first-half deficit caused by an unfortunate Polite Moyo own goal.
Second-half strikes from Nisbert Muzenda and Farai Madhanaga ensured maximum points, marking their 11th match without defeat since a 2-1 loss to Scottland on July 12.
The victory saw Ngezi Platinum Stars jump to fourth on the log with 54 points from 31 matches. They trail the log leaders, Scottland, by eight points, with three games remaining.
The defeat was a major blow to Simba Bhora, who now sit second with 56 points, just ahead of MWOS FC on 55.
In the absence of suspended head coach Takesure Chiragwi, who is facing disciplinary action for an incident involving player McDonald Makuwe, assistant coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva guided Ngezi to the crucial win. He was quick to praise the team’s consistency and established progression as the primary goal for the remainder of the season.
Mutiwekuziva stressed that surpassing last season’s third-place finish is the core objective.
“That was good for us. I would also say it’s a team that has been doing well for a long time,” Mutiwekuziva said, reflecting on the unbeaten run.
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“We continue to play well, to score and to win games, which is positive for the team at the moment. When you look at Ngezi Platinum Stars, when they played last season, they finished in third position.”
He spoke of the club’s development plans.
“Getting a better position than third is good for us. We should see progress,” Mutiwekuziva said.
“We are a team that believes in progression from one side to the other. So we fight as we put pressure on. The leading team, but we still fight to produce a better result that will give us a better position. Either third to be consistent or to have a better position than third. So this is our aim.”
Ngezi Platinum Stars’ focus now shifts to the final three fixtures as they push for a consistent top-three finish to confirm their continued development and progression in the Premier Soccer League.
