Talking Football with Lawrence
As tradition demands, and if it happens in Zimbabwean football, William Manondo took the match ball home after scoring a hat-trick in CAPS United’s 6-0 demolition of hapless WhaWha last week.
Manondo became only the third player to score a hat-trick in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer since Covid-19 came into existence and ensured that Makepepe bounced back from the previous week’s 2-6 defeat at the hands of Manica Diamonds, in style.
In registering their first win of the campaign, Lloyd ‘Lodza’ Chitembwe’s men might have thumped the league’s punching bag but it might have been a sign that the local top-flight is regaining what it has been missing for years- goals.
Unlike in the previous years, when FC Platinum have dominated the league, this year appears to be different.
In fact, no team has not lost a match so far.
Chicken Inn have won five of their six matches and sit at the summit of the table and even showed their title credentials with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Dynamos at the National Sports Stadium.
Second on the table and showing signs of competing are Manica. The Gem Boys trail Chicken Inn by just two points heading into this weekend’s matches and are level on points with third-placed Triangle United.
Manica have scored the most goals so far-15, while Highlanders and Cranbonne Bullets have netted the least- two.
It has been a tough start to the season for struggling Bosso, whose only victory in the campaign, is the 2-0 victory over WhaWha in February.
In fact, that win over WhaWha is the only match this season in which the Bulawayo giants have scored, which explains why fans of the club are frustrated and calling for coach Mandla Mpofu’s exit.
Its too early to tell but there are signs that this might be an intriguing Castle Pager Premier Soccer League.
Bulawayo Chiefs might have started well but if they continue to get popular on social media rather than formulating strategies on the pitch, they will soon be back to what they are known to be; relegation candidates.
Amakhosi are on a 3-game winless run will be desperate to end it when they face a tricky ZPC, in Kariba this afternoon.
Their 0-2 loss to Dynamos means they have failed to score in that last two games.
Not even a controversial penalty awarded to them by Hardly Ndazi, could change that.
For DeMbare, that win was both crucial and timely.
Tonderai Ndiraya’s charges ended a two game winless run and are now 6th on the table with 10 points.
Picture Credit: Libertino