Emmanuel Chitsika
A well-worked out move by Washington ‘Tutu’ Ncube during the first minutes after the break ensured Masvingo United bagged all three points in their second outing following their loss in the opening game of the 2023 Eastern Region Soccer League played at Mucheke stadium on April 16.
After surviving an early Tenax scare, Masvingo United managed to collect themselves and took the game to a seemingly aging former premiership outfit who struggled to cope with the pace of a youthful Una Una outfit.
Tenax wasted some few chances that game their way with one of their strikers managing to hit the upright with the goal yawning and Masvingo FC goal minder Asma Shawn well beaten.
Troy Kwambana was also guilty of missing a seater that left their team with no one to blame but the forward line. Malvern Dumbura used his power to shield the ball from Masvingo rearguard which was at times caught unawares by the Prison Warders.
In the second minute after the interval, Tenax also missed.
Tutu then took advantage of a defensive blunder to clear from a corner kick, cleverly sold a dummy to Tenax defenders before finding the top corner with a curled beautiful strike beyond the reach of the visiting goalkeeper.
After that goal, both sides tried hard to control the game with Masvingo capitalizing on the vast experience of former premier league player now assistant coach/player Kudzanai Kwashi whose deft touches in the middle of the park ensured the Una Una rear guard did not experience any problems from Tenax.
Masvingo United Assistant coach Godfrey Dondo who was standing in for Head COACH Heydays Mugeji expressed happiness over the win and pointed out that Masvingo has always been a thorn in flesh for the visitors.
“Today’s game was a must win after we lost in our opening fixture away in Mutoko and today we did very well to collect three points. We suffered from fatigue due to travelling the long distance.
“We are always a tricky opponent to Tenax because they have not beaten us and we always collect points each time we face them. We always adequately prepare for them and their form does not even scare us as we know the result will favour us in the end,” said Dondo.
He also said the side is coping well with the loss of many senior players from the previous campaign (where they finished third on log standings) who joined cross town rivals Wangu Mazodze FC during the off-season and promised to set aside the setbacks.
“As for the loss of those players, we cannot blame them. It is logical for them to seek greener pastures when they get such opportunities. However, as Una Una, we are going to work with those available players and make sure the team moves on and fight for the championship,” he added.
His opposite number former Lancashire Steel marksman Luke Jukulile Petros paid tribute to Masvingo and said such competition where no team is regarded as obvious winners give the game an interesting edge.
“Judging from today’s game, I will like to congratulate Masvingo as they played a very good game. The youngsters were full of energy and they outplayed Tenax for much of the second half as my players were second to the ball in most incidences.
“Lapse of concentration during the early minutes of the second half saw us conceding a corner kick that was executed well which resulted in the goal that punished us. It’s good for a team to take advantage of being at home and win in front of own supporters. It’s back to the drawing board for us as we seek to rectify and correct our mistakes.
“Over and above, the moment we see this kind of competition, it gives us a strong belief that the season ahead will be interesting and competitive. People may think Tenax is ready for championship but let me hasten to say it’s too early. Our failure to utilize the chances we created led to us losing the game,” said Jukulile.
Masvingo’s next game is on April 18 where they play in the Independence trophy against visiting Harare outfit FC Mabvuku where Dondo said the team would field other players who were not involved in the league game and save energy for the weekend league games.
