TellZim reporter
Scenes of jubilation engulfed Mucheke stadium on July 17 as Masvingo United rediscovered the winning formula as they eased past determined visiting Army side Buffalos and crept into third position above Ruwa ProGroup though tied on similar number of points and aggregate.
Una Una who seemed to have lost their ground in the title race following a spate of poor results with more draws than wins utilized on the few chances they created and bagged three valuable points.
Masvingo are now in third place with 34 points apiece with Ruwa ProGroup who lost one-nil to another Masvingo- based side Wangu Mazodze FC at the same venue on July 16.
Despite exchanging neat passes early in the opening stages, the Army side failed to convert the possession into goals and it was Washington Ncube who put the hosts in the driving seat after coolly slotting home a rebound after the woodwork had saved the visitors.
A powerful drive from the left boot of Munyaradzi Mazorodze (Nyaga) gave Buffaloes goal minder no chance before it hit the crossbar only for an alert Washington Ncube (Tutu) to slot the rebound to the far left side of the goalkeeper with the away team defenders flat footed.
The teams went to the break with Masvingo clinching on to the narrow margin. After the interval, an enterprising Sean Mutongi gave Buffalos defenders a torrid time in office as he took them on with skill and pace and his efforts were rewarded almost midway the second half.
A desperate defender bundled the lanky striker down only for Captain Admire ‘Dhumbe’ Banda to drive a powerful spot kick beyond the keeper’s reach.
After the second goal, a rejuvenated Masvingo became settled with fans cheering on the team as they comfortably controlled pace while Buffalos created a few chances which they failed to convert.
Masvingo coach had to inject more energy as he capitalized on the new rules and made some changes as his side held on to the two goals which ensured they are tied with Ruwa though Una Una have a game in hand.
After claiming their first victory since the beginning of second half of the league, Una Una team manager Fidelis Nyahwai said the match marks end of the cycle of draws and defeats.
“We are very happy with the outcome; we have been on a winless spell for a long time. The team has been recording too many draws but we did not lose hope. The boys played well and we managed to break the cycle of defeats and draws. We are promising our fans more victories till the end of the season,” said Nyahwai.
He also affirmed that the team has been failing to please its legion of fans in the past games due to too many draws.
Masvingo enjoyed a rich vein of form before the mid-season break where they were part of the leading pack just two points shy of now second-placed Mutare City Rovers.
Meanwhile log leaders Green Fuel remains on course for promotion into the Premier Soccer League (PSL) as they maintained their unbeaten run with a 1-0 home victory over Mutoko-based JM Busha.
Second-placed Mutare City Rovers edged past Surrey FC with a similar score line though they remain nine points adrift.
