Manica Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)
Bulawayo City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) 1
THE chaotic Castle Lager Premiership match played at Sakubva Stadium yesterday pitting hosts Manica Diamonds and Bulawayo City will probably compete for the longest ever domestic top flight league encounter award as the referee eventually blew the final whistle after exactly two hours and 28 minutes with the visitors leading by a solitary goal.
A normal football match lasts for 90 minutes and a few minutes added on, if need be, but this drama-filled match had an initial 26 minutes stoppage after the collapse of a crossbar.
Play had to be stopped in the 51st minutes for 26 minutes after the crossbar collapsed when Bulawayo City goalkeeper Reward Muza swung on it. The worst was yet to come!
With a minute remaining, the match had to be stopped for more than 20 minutes again as Bulawayo City players and officials protested against the referees' decision to award the home team a penalty in the last minute of the encounter.
All hell broke loose as the Bulawayo City players and officials mobbed second assistant referee Joel Magweva who had raised his flag for a penalty ostensibly after a defender had handled the ball in a goalmouth melee.
Magweva received a few punches from substitute Douglas Sibanda before he had to flee from the marauding Bulawayo City players and officials. Moments later, referee Arnold Ncube, who had also blown the whistle to effect his second assistant referee's decision, gave in to pressure from the visitors and rescinded the decision to award a last minute penalty.
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Chaos then reigned on the pitch as fans invaded the pitch in anger.
Such is our primitive way of doing things that the hostile atmosphere that prevailed at Sakubva Stadium could not afford media access to post match interviews as coaches and players from both teams left the pitch in a huff after Ncube blew the final whistle.
Manica Diamonds paid dearly for a complacent approach to the match, especially in the early stages of the encounter.
Those without knowledge of the log standings prior to the encounter had no reason to believe that this was a match pitting a team in the top four against one in the bottom four.
Bulawayo City took the game to their highly fancied opponents and their goal 22 minutes into the match, created from absolutely nothing, gave them confidence as the match progressed. In what can be best described as A moment of madness, Gem Boys defender Eriya Mafirenyika literally passed his opponent' top man Dalubulhe Dlodlo and the later made no mistake as he placed the ball beyond Jorum Muchambo's reach.
The goal must have been a major heartbreak for Muchambo who had gone for the past six matches without conceeding a goal.
Both teams exchanged raids as the match progressed but somehow precision lacked from both fronts.
Yesterday's result is obviously a major drawback for Gem Boys coach Johanisi Nhumwa who agonisingly watched his team's six match unbeaten run go up in smoke when least expected.
