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02 February 2009
By Mtulisi Mafa
Monomotapa ..............................................(1)2 Meimbeni.....................................................…0
MIDFIELDER Brian Mapfumo struck two beautiful goals either side of the break on his debut for Monomotapa as the Champi-ons League debutantes got off to a winning start at Rufaro.
The former Lengthens star had a dream debut in the red-and-white colours of Monoz and made the difference in a game in which the home side could have scored more and taken a healthy lead.
It remains a delicately balanced tie, especially given that Meimbeni showed that they have a productive hub that can create chances, but Monoz should be good enough to protect their lead in two weeks’ time.
The match, watched by a small crowd, hardly rose to dizzy heights but this is still too early in the season to expect Monoz to produce flowing football and their opponents were actually the lively lot for long periods.
But for all their movement, they never tested Monoz goalkeeper Godfrey Mango-ve. The champions looked tired, given the off-season short break, but will take great satisfaction in that they managed to win despite showing signs of fatigue.
The first half took an expected shape as Monomotapa maintained a huge slice of possession outside their own half and with the contest a mere two-minutes-old, the home side went in front after some great piece of football.
They knocked the ball upfield with some fine one touches and Mapfumo was on end to thump a powerful swerving shot — the ball flying past Farouk Ramadhan, the visitors’ goalkeeper. The home side were back again on the hunt, but this time it was Daniel Zokoto, who had a poor game, who fluffed a ninth minute chance with a miscued shot that rolled hopelessly wide.
They kept the pressure, but were failing to connect the right cords amid concerns over their seemingly lightweight attack. They could have doubled their advantage 10 minutes from the break, but Mapfumo somehow drove a good chance into the advertising boards.
The champions then suffered a setback just six minutes before the break when Asani Nhongo was injured and replaced by Ocean Mushure. There was no immediate confirmation of the extent of the injury.
Two minutes after the break, Mapfumo once again fired wide, but there was no denying him in the 71st minute as he earned his stripes with a second after another good attack — powering a shot from just inside the area. The goal brought a lot of relief on the terraces as the Monoz fans and sympathisers were growing frustrated knowing that a one-goal margin was not healthy.
Monoz nearly made it three, but a good one-handed save kept out a fine strike by substitute Daniel Kamunenga — another player making his debut having arrived from Mwana Africa — after the best move of the day. Monomotapa held on to their 2-0 advantage and coach Rodwell Dlakama was a satisfied man.
"We will have to draw from the negatives from this afternoon and will make remedies. I’m satisfied with the result today and we won’t go there (Zanzibar) to defend our lead. "We want to play with conviction and hopefully score more goals," he said. Meimbeni remained confident despite the defeat and defiantly vowed to turn the tables in Zanzibar.
A Meimbeni official, Farouq Karim, said the match was balanced and blamed the defeat on defensive errors. "This was a good match. It was well-balanced, but we made some mistakes in defence and they scored two goals. "But this is away from home and if they could score two, why can’t we score three back home? "We still have that home advantage," he said.
Teams
Monomotapa: G. Mangove; A. Nhongo (O. Mushure 39th minute); L. Simango; T. Samanja; M. Maphosa (D. Kamunhenga 75th minute); V. Chitema; C. Samakwere; B. Mapfumo; E. Chitato (Kawashu 57th minute); D. Zokoto.
Meimbeni: F. Ramadhan; H. Rashid; O. Omar; L. Mapunda; M. Raphael; J. Erukata; A. Khani (W. Slevester 87th minute); M. Salim; Y. Seif; K. Mcha.- Herald Sports.
Nehanda Radio: Serving Zimbabwe since June 2006
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