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Herentals

Tadious Manyepo, Harare Bureau
Herentals 1-0 ZPC Kariba
INNOCENT Benza might be the top-flight’s oldest player but his top-notch dead ball taking technique continues to illuminate the scene after his boot, for the umpteenth time this season, provided the assist to the goal that made all the difference in his team’s win over ZPC Kariba in an otherwise drab Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.

The 46-year-old striker, who has for long been accused of being the weakest link in the Kumbirai Mutiwekuza-coached side, played a game of his life with some trickery moves which defied his age and aptly capped the performance with a perfectly executed outside-of-the-foot swerved free-kick which defender Blessing Maunganidze powerfully headed home nine minutes from the restart.

This ensured Herentals completed a double over the Kariba outfit whom they beat with an identical scoreline in the reverse fixture at Nyamhunga three months ago.

The result helped Herentals leapfrog four teams to ninth on the table with 25 points while their opponents remained 11th on 23 points after match day 20.

Save for the moment of brilliance by Benza and Maunganidze, the match lacked everything from entertainment value to goalmouth action with both teams failing to register a single shot on target in the entire first half.

Though both sides lifted themselves in the second half, goal-scoring chances were few and far between though substitute Elton Dzirondiro and debutant Salif Cheya should have been precise from close range towards the end of the tie as Herentals pushed for the elusive insurance goal.

Herentals, one of the best teams in terms of defence statistics in the league this season, contained their opponents on the other end and goalkeeper Prince Tafiremutsa was a virtual spectator except for a rare occasion when he reflexed to tip a Moses Demera looping header with a quarter of an hour on the clock.

And Mutiwekuziva, whose charges have now collected six points in their last three matches, was delighted with the result.

“Looking from where we are coming from, a defeat to Highlanders in our last encounter, today I am very happy for having come back home, revised ourselves and play like we did,” said Mutiwekuziva.

“ZPC Kariba is the team that I always think of as they are the first team we collected a full set of points against in our Premiership life after we beat them 1-0 in Kariba, courtesy of a Blessing Majarira goal. And today we beat them 1-0 again with another Blessing (Maunganidze) the scorer. I am happy that we have managed to complete a double over them especially looking at their current form where they are doing well.

“The guys gave a very good performance, the spirit was good. I am happy. I am only disappointed that they failed to take some of the chances which came our way towards the end of the match.

“But there is not a bad win looking at the goal which made the difference out of a free-kick by my dead ball specialist Benza.”

ZPC Kariba coach Godfrey Tamirepi conceded defeat and said his charges “failed to pitch up” for the match.

“We had a very disappointing performance this afternoon. We actually never came to the party at all. We were too slow off and on the ball. We couldn’t actually track our guys,” said Tamirepi.

“There was too much laxation on the part of my guys. We were never there right from the start up to the end.

“Credit to the winners, they played well and deserved to win. I am not going to be defensive, all I can say is we were never there in all the aspects of the game with or without the ball and look we were always late, judging by the number of fouls we committed. We were failing to track the opponents and as a result we ended up making some fouls as we got desperate in defence. As a result we got punished in one of those occasions when they got a free-kick just outside the box and that made the difference.”

Teams
Herentals: P Tafiremutsa, B Maunganidza, C Mavhurume, B Majarira, E Mhungu (E Dzirondiro 72nd min), G Chinobva, T Benza (S Cheya 60th min), R Hachiro, P Chota, I. Benza (B Majarira 84th min).

ZPC Kariba: T Hove, P Ghani (F Zekumbawire 80th min), M Kunyarimwe, I Nekati, S Appiah, T Munyanduri, P Tafirenyika (S Gorogodyo 56th min), C Muleya, G Mangani (M Demera 46th min), T Nyamandwe, D Temwanjira.