Shabanie Mine on Cloud Nine

By Langton Nyakwenda in Zvishavane

FC Platinum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

Shabanie Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

(Shabanie Mine won 5-3 in penalty shoot-outs)

Luke Masomere is on cloud nine and can afford to call himself the Doctor of Football after he guided Shabanie Mine to their second major piece of silverware in a mouth-watering BancABC Sup8r final played in true derby spirit at Mandava Stadium on Saturday. 

The BancABC Cup was Masomere’s first coronation and the outspoken gaffer immediately dedicated the trophy to the loyal Shabanie Mine fans while he also took the opportunity to acknowledge FC Platinum’s spirited performance in the second half.

“Everyone can smile now in Shabanie, the victory is theirs. Yes, we have our own in-house problems, but we are used to it as no single week passes without us witnessing problems of some sort.

“We needed this victory more than anyone else and I feel we deserved it against a well-drilled FC Platinum side that gave us a torrid time in the second half,” said Masomere.

It was always going to be a bruising encounter, given the two Zvishavane sides’ intense rivalry and the mining town was festive in the true spirit of football on Saturday.  The stadium was already packed an hour before kick-off and the atmosphere resembled that of an epic cup final.

The fierce rivals could not be separated after 90 minutes, the extra time failed to produce a winner, both sets of players hit wonderful penalty kicks and it was somehow befitting that man-of-the-match and Shabanie Mine veteran skipper Tafadzwa Mombeshora’s kick had to decide the contest.

It was also a day to forget for FC Platinum’s young Zambian import, Obrey Chirwa, after the pacy forward sent FC Platinum’s fourth spot kick wide.

Blessed Mbavarira, Valentine Ndaba, William Ngonya, ’keeper Victor Twaliki converted for Shabanie Mine while skipper Daniel Veremu, Winston Mhango, Thabani Kamusoko were on target for FC Platinum until Chirwa turned villain — presenting the steady Mombeshora with a chance to write history for the asbestos miners.

With the scores at 4-3 after Chirwa’s miss, the evergreen Mombeshora kept his cool to send FC Platinum’s impressive ’keeper the wrong way and Mandava Stadium erupted into a frenzy.

The Shabanie Mine fans were uncontrollable as they scaled the perimeter fence onto the pitch as reality dawned on them that their team had just clinched their second major cup — 12 years after they lifted the BP League Cup at the expense of favourites Dynamos in 2001.

It became more joyous when popular comedian Vharazipi Vharazipi (real name David Mubaiwa), a self-confessed Shabanie Mine supporter, joined in the delirium.

And Shabanie Mine could pay the price for their fans’ expression of joy as they are likely to be fined US$8 000 for their fans’ pitch invasion. They are also likely to be docked another US$8 000 for crowd trouble after their fans threw missiles onto the pitch in the 68th minute.

They were contesting referee Norman Matemera’s decision to award a free kick to FC Platinum after live-wire substitute Marshall Mudehwe was hacked down by Shabanie defender Smart Muchabaiwa.

Shabanie had dominated the first half, but the introduction of the trickery Mudehwe and later, Chirwa, turned the tide in favour of FC Platinum in the second stanza.

Bustling strikers Tarisai Rukanda and Caleb Masocha were always a handful for the FC Platinum defence while Pervington Zimunya’s curling free kicks were a thorn in the flesh for Platinum ’keeper Tizayi.

The agile Tizayi had to summon all his acrobatic abilities when he tipped over Zimunya’s wonderfully curled free kick in the 21st minute. Right-winger Frankson Bushire and Erea Phiri were also victims of near misses in a first half that the Chinda Boys exerted control.

But the second half belonged largely to Lloyd Mutasa’s men, although their twin strikers, Donald Ngoma and Nelson Maziwisa, let their teammates down as they took turns to miss glaring chances.

Ngoma could have wrapped up the game with 12 minutes of play left, but his bouncing header missed the target with the fans seated at the Chibuku End bay already up for celebration. Substitute Chirwa then shot wide in the 81st minute after he was cleverly set up by Maziwisa, whose well-placed header had also been expertly saved by Twaliki five minutes earlier.

And the game went into extra time and still the two foes could not be separated. Mutasa, a usually cool coach, could not hide his emotions in the 115th minute when he smashed a plastic bottle on the ground in reaction to a miss by Maziwisa.

And Mutasa’s post-match comment summed up his disappointment.

“We lost the plot, we should have won the game in the 90 minutes, but we failed to convert a number of chances. But there is always a second time and I should say it is good that we managed to reach the final,” said Mutasa, who also lost another BancABC final as Shooting Stars coach in 2009.

Teams

FC Platinum: F. Tizayi, R. Muduwiwa, E. Moyo, D. Veremu, A. Katebe, W. Ndiweni (M. Mudehwe 46th), T. Kamusoko, C. Sibanda (O. Chirwa 62nd), D. Ngoma (M. Katsvairo 90th), N. Maziwisa.

Shabanie Mine: V. Twaliki, B. Mbavarira, P. Marime (P. Sithole 17th), S. Muchabaiwa, W. Ngonya, F. Bushire (V. Ndaba 81st), T. Mombeshora, E. Phiri, P. Zimunya (F. Chirinda 81st), T. Rukanda, C Masocha.