Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Matchday 1 Round-Up

By Perkins-Tino Bare

The Gamecocks got off their title defence to a blistering start as they beat Dynamos by 3-0 in a match played out at Barbourfields Stadium on Saturday. It was goals galore as Caps United and Highlanders both won with an identical scoreline of 3-0 which newboys Ngezi Platinum were also able to score past fellows Mutare City. Chicken Inn, Highlanders and Ngezi shaer pole position for the meantime whilst Dynamos find themselves in unfamiliar territory in the relegation zome together with Mutare City and Hwange but hey its still matchday 1.

Gamecocks Stomp Dynamos

The Gamecocks onnce again showed that they were up for the tuitle defence as they beat Dynamos 3-0 in a match played out at Barboufields stadium on Saturday. Dynamos had to end the match with 10 men as Richard Kawondera was sent off for a second bookable offense. Obadiah Tarumwa put the gamecocks ahead as he netted a brace in teh space of 2 minutes in the 61^st and the 62^nd minute opening up the game after a goalless first half. Tafadzwa Kutinyu then killed off the match when he latched onto a Clemence Matawu cross, controlled it well then slotted in home in a typical thanks for coming fashion.

Chicken Inn gaffer Joey Antiaps, in his black sunglasses was elated as he proclaimed “Brilliant stuff from us, three goals and we did not concede. We hung off the ball in the first half and played with caution and it did work for us. We played them high in the second half and it worked. Credit to my boys for brilliant second half display,” Antipas said in an interview with a local [publication. The match just showed that the Gamecocks are indeed up for the task as they pumped up and look stronger than they were last season.

New Dynamos coach Paulo Jorge Silva admitted that the Gamecocks were just too powerful for his side “My players gave everything in the first half, but Chicken Inn was better in the second half. I tried to put a solid defence in the second half, but Chicken Inn is just a strong team,” Silva said in an interview with a local publication. Dynamos had apparently started the game well as they controlled the midfield only to fluff in the final attacking third.

Bosso Blast Hwange

Highlanders on the other hand got their campaign off to a brilliant start as well as they won 3-0 away from home at the Colliery beating Hwange. Bosso`s Knox Mutizwa got a brace as well and Hwange did not know what had hit them as he got his goals in the dying phases of the match. Mutizwa got his first after Bruce Kangwa made a wonderful attack overlapping into the Hwange then squared the ball for Knox who was happy to slot it in for his first. His second came in when he finished off a cross from the young and promising Prince Dube who`s part of the juniors promoted from the Under 19 side. Apparently all goals also came int he second half as Kangwa himself had opened the scoring for Highlanders in the 77^th minute .

Bosso`s coach Elroy Akbay was not pleased with his charges performance in the first even though they went on to rectify in the second half “The first half was bad and I don’t know what was happening but the second half went well and we got the goals,” he said in an interview with a local daily. Hwange had to bear the pain as their coach Nation Dube had been suspended following mathc fixing allegations as their stand-in coach Mebelo Njekwa was calm as he said it was still to early to ring the alarm bells “We had played well but the boys collapsed in the last fifteen minutes of the game to deliver the game to Highlanders on a silver platter. Well it is the first game, we have to dust ourselves up and be ready for the next challenge,” he said in an interview with a local publication .

Ngezi Platinum beat fellow newboys Mutare City 3-0 and thta is the perfecty approach if they are looking forward to survival. They have to capitalise on their matches against the small teams and they cannot afford to draw as tough it may still be a long way to go every point is vital.

No Leonard Tsipa? No Problem

Caps Untied on the other hand saw off Chapungu with the same scoreline 3-0 even though they miseed the services of veteran Leonard Tsipa through injury. Joel Ngodzo put Makepekepe ahed on the 37^th minute before Tafadzwa rusike added the second just two minutes later. Moses Mucenje then capped it off later on putting the ice on the cherry in a match that Chapungyu could have gotten away with. Chapungu had seemed threateniogn in the opening stages of the macth but it was to no avail.

“As far as the result is concerned, we are very happy, it has just reminded us of what we can achieve and we just need to keep on working hard” said Caps United coach Lloyd Chitembwe in a pot-match interview with a local daily.