The Sunday News
Fungai Muderere at Luveve Stadium
Arenel Movers 2-1 Bikita Minerals
ON an afternoon that the heavens decided to open and quench the hardened earth in Bulawayo, Arenel Movers FC and visiting Bikita Minerals players played the second-half drenched in rain water as the hosts turned the heat to snatch a vital three points.
Luveve Stadium proved to be an unfriendly stadium that cannot play host to a match on a rainy day after the few supporters, who paid to watch the match, were forced to seek cover in an improvised VIP section that can hardly accommodate 50 people.
At full time, when the players had finished their business, it continued to rain.
Bikita Minerals might have not known that Bulawayo is starved of water but the few supporters who came to support Arenel had two reasons to celebrate – a win at Luveve Stadium and rainfall in the city.
Yesterday’s victory was Arenel’s first of their debut season in the topflight league.
A goal in both halves of the game were all the sweets makers needed to collect maximum points for the first time.
The two goals for Arenel came off the boots of Brian Ngwenya and second-half substitute Johane Sibanda.
Dennis Nhongo scored Bikita Minerals’ only goal.
It only took 11 minutes of play for the home side to break the deadlock. Ngwenya shook the roof of the net from close range to put Arenel in front.
Nhongo was to level matters with a header off a Darren Mutimuzunze cross in the 20th minute.
In the 67th minute, Arenel reclaimed their lead through substitute, Sibanda who slotted home from close range.
Grey Kudandafa had a chance of making it three for Arenel but missed an empty net.
With five minutes left of regulation time, veteran Evans Katema missed a golden chance in front of goal. Unmarked in the box, he skied his effort over the bar.
After the match, Bikita Minerals gaffer, Saul Chaminuka was a bitter man as he continuously shook his head, blaming the match officials for their defeat.
“I think players should be let to play the games and decisions are made on the field of play. We score a very good goal but I don’t know why someone decides against it. It is such decisions that end up deciding games and I’m not happy, I don’t want to lie.
“Sanctions or not, I don’t care, we can’t have this kind of football. That goal, was the turning point of this game. It’s difficult to talk about team performance because, like I said, they decided. We had our mistakes and we also had the game on our side and that’s football but I think games must be decided on the pitch by players, not otherwise.
“We must compete, we are into this to compete. We spend a lot of time working on these guys and when they do right, they are supposed to be credited for doing right,” said Chaminuka.
The goal came soon after the start of the second-half in the 48th minute when Chris Makambira headed home from close range but was adjudged to have committed a foul on an Arenel player.
At that time, the game was tied at one all before Arenel went on to reclaim their lead minutes later.
It was opposing emotions as the winning coach, Farai Tawachera produced a smile after winning his first game of the league.
Despite the win, Tawachera believes his team is not yet there, adding that they will continue putting in the works.
“We got three points but we will continue working hard, we are not yet there. There are times when we become erratic but for today, I have no complaints, we thank God for the win.
“We knew in the midfield they were going to have more of the ball. We knew Allan (Gahadzikwa) is an artist, he plays very well but he is a 45 minute player so we knew in the second-half he was going to slow down. So in the second-half, it was a question of adding pace, and the objective was to run them down and tire them.
“We could have won this game three nil. But, overall, there are areas which we need to work on,” said Tawachera. – @FungaiMuderere.
