FC Platinum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 0 Hwange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1 A penalty by Gerald Ndlovu in the 59th minute ensured Hwange cruised to the quarter-finals of the Mbada Diamonds Cup — the country’s richest football tournament — for the first time since 2011 after beating FC Platinum at the Colliery yesterday.
Fortune Mbele IN Hwange
It was yet another bad day for Lloyd Mutasa and his boys after falling 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out to Shabanie Mine last Saturday in the final of the BancABC Sup8r Cup at Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane.
Man-of-the-match Farai Vimisai was the toast of the day for the coal miners as he disabled the platinum miners in the first half in a match that had degenerated into a drab affair before Ndlovu converted from the spot-kick. The goal came a minute before the hour mark, sending the Chipangano supporters into wild celebration.
Hwange goalkeepers’ coach Chenjerai Dube welcomed the win saying reaching the quarter-finals for the first time was a confidence booster for the coal miners.
“I think we played as a team. We have been emphasising teamwork at training because we had been playing individual soccer all along,” he said.
“This one was a game well played and it is definitely a morale booster that we are going into the quarter-finals for the first time.
“That means we now have to fight hard to reach the final.” The match appeared to be headed for a penalty shoot-out before Hwange substitute Tafara Chese cut through the FC Platinum defence and set up Isaac Masame inside the box.
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Winston Mhango then brought down the charging Masame inside the box and referee Philani Ncube pointed to the penalty spot.
Up stepped Ndlovu who beat the FC Platinum goalkeeper Francis Tizayi. Hwange held on to that goal until the final whistle.
However, FC Platinum complained that Ncube had denied them what looked like a genuine penalty in the dying minutes of the game, claiming a Hwange defender had handled inside the box in a goalmouth scramble. Lloyd Mutasa said he was not given to saying much about things that he had no control over.
“It is a pity that the playing field was not even. But we created chances that we also missed,” he said. “There was a clear penalty that we were not given, but I don’t want to touch on things that I have no control over.
“What we know best is just to play our football. The referee played a part in our loss.”
