Goal drought, but excitement galore

Sport
FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza said the games are yet to begin.

THE Castle Lager Premier Soccer League has been hit by a goal drought after the first three matches, but the matches have not been short of excitement.

At the same stage last season, with clubs having played three games, the league had registered a massive 61 goals compared to this year’s 35 that have been scored to date.

Champions FC Platinum were the biggest scorers in the first three games last year, baptising Tenax with a 6-1 thumping in their first game and by game three they were on eight goals.

Last season, Ngezi Platinum also thrashed Bulawayo City 5-0, while Manica Diamonds also dismissed WhaWha 3-1.

This year has witnessed a slow start to the season, in terms of the number of goals scored, with FC Platinum losing their first game of the season 2-1 to Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday in a game that was watched by an impressive crowd. It was a historic match for the Bulawayo giants who registered their first win against the champions in nine years.

In the first round of matches this season, only 11 goals were scored compared to last year’s bumper 22 goals, while in the second match, 14 goals were scored last year and 13 this season and over the past weekend only 11 goals were scored compared to last season’s 25.

Hwange were the biggest league winners this past weekend, beating Green Fuel 3-0 at Luveve Stadium on Sunday. 

With four goalless draws, only Highlanders, Hwange and Caps United were victorious.

FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza said the games are yet to begin.

“If you look at what happened since Friday; it was draws all over. Highlanders won, they beat us. It’s Highlanders, Hwange and Caps United who managed to collect maximum points. It is still early days in the season; people are still getting into the groove. It will open up; it is just a matter of time,” Mapeza said.

FC Platinum won their first two games before losing to Highlanders who have also won two matches and drawn once.

The Bulawayo giants’ coach Baltemar Brito missed the first game while away in Europe and has been in charge in the two subsequent wins.

Brito reckons the first few games will give him a good measure of how his boys will fare going forward.

“We need more time to work with these boys because the pre-season was not good at all because we had a lot of rainy days. We did not play enough friendly matches, so it is these kind of games that will make us have a good look at our players. So we have this time  to see if we can analyse and come up with something,” the Brazilian national said.

In the first three games, the country’s big three, in terms of followers, sit at the helm with Dynamos on top, followed by Caps, then Highlanders on the third spot.

Dynamos were held to a goalless draw by Simba Bhora on Saturday with blanks fired between Bulawayo Chiefs and Black Rhinos, Cranborne Bullets and Chicken Inn and Triangle and Ngezi Platinum.

Herentals and Manica Diamonds played a 1-1 draw on Friday, the same scoreline for Shesham and Yadah on Saturday.

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