CAPS UNITED . . . . . . . (0) 3
SIMBA BHORA . . . . . . (0)
CAPS United made it three out of three wins as their remarkable resurgence continued yesterday, edging Simba Bhora in a five-goal thriller at Rufaro Stadium to progress to the quarter-finals of the Chibuku Super Cup.
Second-half substitute Tinotenda Meke emerged as the hero when he curled home a stoppage-time winner to settle a pulsating contest that truly came to life after the interval.
The dramatic victory represents a total metamorphosis for a side that had endured a dismal 14-match winless run prior to their recent revival.
It follows hard on the heels of a 4-2 league victory over Highlanders and a 6-nil thrashing of Scottland U19 in the Zifa Munhumutapa Cup Round of 16 last week.
Incredibly, the Green Machine have now scored a staggering 13 goals across their last three outings.
Following a sterile first half in which scoring chances were few and far between — notable only for Ronald Chitiyo having a shot blocked for Simba Bhora following a miscued Petrus Simaneka overhead kick, Harrison Masina shooting straight at the home side goalkeeper after breaking through, and Chawananga Kaonga blasting over at the other end — Caps United head coach Takesure Chiragwi rang the changes at the break.
The tactical shift worked like magic, with half-time substitute Tanaka Shandirwa making an immediate impact.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, Shandirwa delivered a precise cross that found the head of Dominic Njaliwa, who glanced past goalkeeper William Thole to open the scoring.
The lead, however, was short-lived.
Simba Bhora hit back almost immediately when Nomore Tsabora's cross was recycled at the back post by Masina for Simaneka to nod home, exposing some static ball-watching from the Caps United defence.
The pendulum swung again when Talent Chamboko restored the hosts' advantage, bundling the ball home with his body from a Kaonga corner — though Thole will feel he should have done better to punch the delivery clear.
Wadi should have put the game to bed shortly after when he raced clear on goal, but his attempted lob over the advancing Thole sailed over the crossbar.
That glaring miss was punished almost instantly. Substitute Blessed Ndereki threaded a clever pass to Simaneka, who locked his marker before placing his shot into the net via the upright to complete a well-earned brace and level the scores.
With the match seemingly destined for a penalty shootout, Meke — who memorably scored a brace in the victory over Highlanders at the same venue the last time out — once again proved decisive.
Cleverly set up by Shandirwa, Meke curled a sublime left-footed shot into the far post, torching wild celebrations among the Caps United supporters who are dreaming of capturing the Chibuku Super Cup for the first time.
Reflecting on the match, Chiragwi praised his players' resilience after they pushed for a winner when penalties loomed.
"In the first half, we couldn't manage to create some chances to score," Chiragwi said.
"But we corrected that during the break and we came back in the second half with a better side in terms of creativity after we made some changes.
Then we managed to get the goals, but I thought maybe the two goals that we've conceded, we're not supposed to concede such.
“But such is football and what is important is to get through to the second round.
“And after we conceded those goals, the guys kept on fighting. They really wanted to win. The hunger was there."
In stark contrast, Simba Bhora coach Mandla Mpofu finds himself walking a tightrope.
Yesterday's elimination from the Chibuku Super Cup compounded a miserable week for the 2024 league champions, who were also bundled out of the Zifa Munhumutapa Cup last week and are out of the league title race.
"We could have done better today, especially defensively... the goal that we considered, looking at the calibre of defenders that we have," Mpofu admitted.
"We showed a lot of character coming from behind. When it was 2–2 I thought maybe we could soldier on until the end, but again, our defensive transition was bad today. But it was a good game of football, from both sides. We played well, we didn't deserve to be out of the tournament, looking at the performance that we did today. I would say well done to the boys in terms of commitment, they did everything that they can. Unfortunately, Caps was a better team today."
Teams
Caps United: V James, N Gurende, P Phiri, D Njaliwa, K Chigwida, C Kaonga (R Hachiro, 74'), U Vunga (T Meke, 74'), T Chamboko, J Chando (T Shandirwa, 46'), D Marowa (I Wadi, 46'), A Mukombedzi.
Simba Bhora: W Thole, W Tafa, K Eib, L Chaziya, I Nyanhi, N Tsabora (C Mapoka, 75'), R Chitiyo (S Mhlanga, 71'), T Chipunza (B Ndereki, 71'), A Silla, H Masina, P Simaneka.