MANICA DIAMONDS ..... (1)
CHICKEN INN............. (0)(1)
PRESSURE continues to mount on Manica Diamonds FC head coach Jairosi Tapera following a frustrating 1-1 draw against a depleted Chicken Inn in a Castle Lager Soccer League match at Sakubva Stadium.
The match started slowly, with both teams struggling to create clear scoring opportunities.
Chicken Inn were missing eight regular players due to injuries and illness.
The home side made a breakthrough in the 15th minute when midfielder Bret Amidu struck a stunning free kick that curled over the wall, beating Chicken Inn goalkeeper Aaron Ngwenya and it looked like the Ngoda Boys would score an avalanch.
As the first half progressed, Chicken Inn found themselves with a golden opportunity in the 38th minute. But Micheal Charamba failed to capitalize on a mistake by Manica Diamonds goalkeeper Godfrey Chitsumba.
The second half set off at a sluggish pace, but Chicken Inn equalized in the 61st minute.
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Joseph Tulani tapped in frim a cross by midfielder Edward Musena to give the visitors hope.
Veteran striker Evans Katema nearly secured a win for Manica Diamonds in the 85th minute, but his header from a cross by Charles Teguru missed the goal by mere inches.
In a post-match interview, Tapera expressed his disappointment with the result.
"We played very well in the first half and scored. But we came back a bit slow. Their goal was a result of lack of concentration. We were missing some of our regular players for various reasons. Anyway, that's football, and we will address our mistakes to achieve better results in our next game," he observed.
On the other hand, Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas was pleased with the draw, especially considering the circumstances.
"This is a fair result for us because we had a very depleted side, missing eight regular players. Manica Diamonds were strong in the first half, but we came back effectively in the second half. The tactical changes we made during halftime paid off," Antipas remarked.
The draw marks yet another setback for Manica Diamonds at home, intensifying scrutiny on Tapera as the team struggles to find its footing in the league.
