SIMBA BHORA . . . . . . (1) 1
BIKITA MINERALS . . . . .0
DEFENDING champions Simba Bhora moved top of the log table, following a battling win over Bikita Minerals in a feisty league encounter at Wadzanayi Stadium yesterday.
Utility player Ishmael Nyanhi scored the only goal of the match in the 39th minute, vollying home an Emmanuel Ziocha pass as the hosts made it two wins on a bounce following a 3-2 win over Highlanders on Sunday.
Yesterday’s win means Simba Bhora’s title defence is well on course as they are unbeaten in five matches, winning four and drawing one.
They now have 32 points, one more than MWOS and five ahead of Scottland who were held to a 2-2 draw away at GreenFuel yesterday.
Scottland have a game in hand from their abandoned match against Chicken Inn.
MWOS welcome Caps United at Ngoni Stadium in Norton today looking to go back to winning ways and return to the top of the log standings.
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Simba Bhora coach Joel Luphahla admitted it was a very tough match for his side, blaming the below par performance on fatigue, more than anything else.
“Difficult game, very difficult game today because after the game we played on Sunday in Bulawayo, I knew this was bound to happen,” Luphahla said.
“It took us almost 30 minutes to get going. Credit also goes to Bikita Minerals for the good team, young players that play really, really good football. I think it was a good game, but you could see from their side that they were tired. From our side, the legs were tired. At the end of the day, it's good that we managed to get the points. Last time we drew here, and we’ve managed to get three points and that’s all we need. But I am happy for the players and also for the fans that we’ve managed to get back to winning ways, which I think puts us in a position that we want at the end of the day.”
It proved to be a very feisty encounter, with both teams forced into first half substitution as tackles flew around early on.
Bikita Minerals had Tinashe Ruziwe and Gerald Banda carried off the pitch in the first half and were replaced by Raymond Kafiremutowa and 17-year-old Marshal Chiwara, while Ishe Mauchi, for the hosts, also failed to last the first half distance.
Bikita Minerals coach Wilson Mutekede was furious at the final whistle.
He felt the hosts employed dirty tactics to win the match. He said his players did not receive enough protection from the match officials.
“This is a game that we played well,” Mutekede said.
“We had early injuries because obviously we were playing football. The other team had different instructions. It was not about football. In my view, it was deliberate. I could see a sign from the bench where a coach is telling them to crunch our players. Well, you call it football?
“But if they are going to play in the Champions League, they have to win square and good. That’s football. Not what we were seeing. And they are getting away with it. We got those injuries in the early stages of the game and there is no caution. It says a lot about the way certain clubs are probably benefiting (from poor officiating). For us, we are trying to play football.
“The bigger picture is what you are seeing. We are not looking at probably wanting to get results at the expense of the objective of developing football,” he said.
Bikita Minerals, who had not lost a match in their previous five outings before yesterday, dropped to 14th place with 16 points from as many matches.
