Caps United . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1 FC Platinum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
HENRY MHARA SPORTS REPORTER
CAPS UNITED maintained their impressive start to the 2015 Castle lager Premier League season with a hard fought win over FC Platinum at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.
Defender Ronald Pfumbidzai’s well-struck goal in the 75th minute was probably the only major highlight of a match that never reached the top gear.
Caps United coach Mark Harrison admitted his charges played second fiddle to the opposition for the better part of the match, but said he was happy with the win.
“We are in front of the target that we set ourselves which is good because it gives me a little breathing space in the next game,” Harrison said.
“It was not the prettiest of performances, but we were playing one of the better sides in the league and by far the most comfortable teams on the ball.
“Like I said it was not the greatest of performances, but you can’t always play well to win. Sometimes you play badly and win.”
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FC Platinum have collected just one point from a possible six, but their coach Norman Mapeza is not pressing panic buttons as yet.
Mapeza said: “It’s still early in the season and it (the defeat) happens in football. We just have to keep working hard and results will come. We were not clinical enough in the final third, especially in the first half. We created far enough decent chances in the first half.”
This contest was billed as the pick of the weekend fixtures, but it disappointed in terms of entertainment value. The tempo was very slow with the home side sitting back and allowing the visitors to have the ball, who themselves appeared to run out of ideas every time they got into the final third.
In the 21st minute Donald Ngoma appeared to tumble inside the box under the challenge of Carlton Munzabwa, but it was the striker who was yellow-carded for simulation.
In the 26th minute, Ngoma was freed on the right, but decided to find a teammate when going for goal might have been a better option.
Takudzwa Mahori wasted a good opportunity when he held on to possession instead of releasing the ball to an unmarked Rodreck Mutuma in a two-versus-one situation.
FC Platinum were clearly the better side with their possession football and Harrison was forced to make an early substitution, pulling out ineffective Thabani Moyo for ageing Leonard Tsipa on 35th minute.
FC Platinum’s Walter Musona then made some good work on the left channel before crossing the ball, but his effort found no takers as it ran across the face of goal. A moment later, a Thabani Kamusoko free-kick from a good range was gathered well by Caps goalie Victor Twaliki.
It was the hosts who almost stole the lead in the 43rd minute with their first real chance of the half when Mutuma made his way into the box, but his effort was blocked for a corner-kick.
From the resultant kick, Tsipa’s header was cleared off the line and Munzabwa’s follow-up header was blocked by the visitors goalie Petros Mhari.
Chances were few and far between in the second half. Wisdom Mutasa’s 56th minute shot drew the best out of Twaliki before Musona headed wide from a good cross on 70th minute.
FC Platinum was almost immediately punished for that blatant miss when Caps defender Steven Makatuka was allowed space on the blind side from a corner-kick, but his defensive instincts forced him to play the ball to safety when he should have scored from a metre out.
That glaring miss would count for very little though as the Green Machine made the breakthrough moments later.
Pfumbidzai galloped forward on the left and released a shot which ricocheted off Mutuma’s legs to land invitingly for the left-back who pounced on the rebound with a sweet shot that found the back of the nets despite Mhari’s best efforts to keep it out.
The visitors pushed hard for an equaliser, but Caps United, who introduced the ageless Ashley Rambanapasi in the final minutes for his league return after years in the lower divisions, managed to hold on for their perfect start to the new season.
