The Sunday News
Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter
Chicken Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 0
Herentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 0
WHILE his Herentals counterpart Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva was celebrating a draw, Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas was not a happy man after his team fired blanks at Luveve Stadium yesterday, which saw them fall further in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League championship race.
After the draw, second-placed Chicken Inn are now on 28 points, a point behind log leaders Dynamos who are in action against bottom of the log Bulawayo City at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon.
“It was a hard-fought point against one of the best teams in the PSL. We were very much organised to avoid defeat and snatch a point. We did not get the goals but in terms of defending we were good.
We have never won against Chicken Inn and this was a breakthrough for us, an amazing performance from our boys. They had self-belief. It’s a win for us. We are celebrating this draw,” said Mutiwekuziwa after the drab match that was watched by a handful of Herentals College students and Gamecocks supporters.
Joey Antipas
A clearly disappointed Antipas conceded it was another bad day in office for his charges. He also blamed the match officials for falling into Herentals’ delaying tactics. Prince Mathumo was the referee for the match.
“We didn’t do enough to win this match. We brought in five substitutes but they could not change the game. It’s very frustrating. It was a very frustrating afternoon as we also saw the referees fall into the trap of Herentals’ time wasting tactics. We were calculating everything but it was unfortunate the match officials thought otherwise,” said a crestfallen Antipas before he turned his back on journalists.
Without goals to write home about, it was a match in which Herentals owner Innocent Benza reminded many about social soccer in a game that should exhibit tenets of professional football. With his name registered on the team sheet as a substitute, Benza was instead dressed in a grey track bottom and a New Zealand rugby jersey. He spent almost the whole afternoon leading his bench to remonstrate against the match officials.
Teams
Chicken Inn: D Bernard, G Majika (Ncube 59 mins), M Charamba (Bernard 73mins), N Ketala (Ndlovu 82mins), M Jackson, M Jackson, B Amidu( Pini 82 mins) I Mabunu, X Ndlovu, S Mhlanga, M Hwata (Ncube 59 mins) B Muza
Herentals: T Chikosi, G Chinobva, B Majarira, C Gobvu, J Zhuwawo (Majarira 84 mins) , T Benza (Dhlakama 84 mins), J Tafadzwa (Chota 61 mins), P Chama, W Chimbetu, G Mukambi, L Ruguchu
— @FungaiMuderere
