The Sunday News
Paul Mundandi in Zvishavane and Lovemore Zigara in Gweru
FC Platinum …………………………………………….… (2) 2
Buffaloes …………………………………………………… (1) 1
FC PLATINUM coach Norman Mapeza heaped praise on 19-year-old Wisdom Mutasa, son of his predecessor, Lloyd, who played a game of his life when his team beat visiting Buffaloes at Mandava Stadium yesterday.
“Mutasa is a fantastic player. He is brilliant and a prospect for the future. We did not play our normal game maybe because of the heat but I am impressed by my boys,”’ said the gifted coach.
Mutasa was a marvel to watch in a game in which another youngster Walter Musona was also outstanding.
The midfielder showed that his call up to the national team was not a fluke when he scored a fantastic left footer that Itai Chiwara the Buffaloes goalkeeper never saw.
Donald Ngoma weaved his way past the visitors’ defence on the right and fed Mutasa who did not make a mistake.
The goal came a minute after Mutasa had missed a glittering chance. The player was fed in the box and instead of shooting at goal he opted to dribble and the Buffaloes defence recovered and cleared their lines.
“I feel excited to score my first league goal. It has been long since I last scored and that was in a friendly match. I thank the fans for their support and I urge them to keep on supporting us and we will deliver. I will continue working hard,” said Mutasa.
Moses Chunga the visiting coach was disappointed by the result. “We gave away two sloppy goals. My players failed to do well at the back but overall the team performance was below par,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Castle Premier Soccer League brand was dragged through the mud yesterday as the match pitting Chapungu and Chiredzi failed to go ahead after the visitors arrived late for the game without player licences and playing kits.
Chiredzi arrived at Ascot Stadium 30 minutes after the scheduled 3pm kick off but the match could not go ahead as the team claimed coach Gishon Ntini was on his way with the licences and uniforms.
However, Ntini and the rest of the Chiredzi officials were nowhere near the match venue by 4.10 pm which forced match commissioner, Japhet Mfiri to call off the match much to the chagrin of a handful of supporters who had come in anticipation of the encounter.
Mfiri cited the unavailability of player licences as well as a match kit by the Lowveld side as the reason for the abandonment.
“Chiredzi arrived at 3.30pm and could not produce player licences and the match kit during inspection. They told us that the licences would come with the technical team but it is now 4.10pm and they have not yet arrived. We cannot therefore continue to wait and wait hence we are abandoning the game,” he said.
The fate of the match will now have to be decided in the boardroom.
