Manica Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(2) 2
Arenel Movers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1
MANICA Diamonds heaved a huge sigh of relief in this pulsating Castle Lager Premiership title challenge after collecting maximum points against basement outfit Arenel Movers at Sakubva Stadium yesterday.
Coach Jairos Tapera's men secured victory even though they were far from convincing, especially in their conversion rate.
The hosts secured the lead in the 17th minute through a goal-mouth melee in which Dynamos reject Tawanda Macheka tapped home from close range to give Manica Diamonds the lead.
The Gem Boys were to shine again in the 33rd minute when exciting midfielder Anelka Chivandire connected a cross from workaholic Gift Bero to extend Manica Diamond's lead.
Arenel Movers pulled one back in the 50th minute after capitalising on ageing Pasca Manhanga's lethargic approach that led him to lose possession in the middle of the park.
The visitors suddenly went on a counter-attack that ended with Toto Banda slotting the ball home to give the Premiership basement outfit some hope in this encounter.
Tapera believes the narrow win is the start of a positive change of fortunes for his team after a lengthy period of not only failing to win but also firing blanks.
"I think we played well and created several scoring chances that we could have buried to win this encounter by a wider margin. However, a win is a win. We are happy with the three points we got. We just look forward to build on that and get more positive results going into the remaining matches of the season," Tapera said. His opposite number Philani "Beefy" Ncube is still confident that his team will survive relegation at the end of the season.
"We played very well and we could have easily walked away with at least a point, but such is the game of football. We were just unlucky. We just have to go back to the drawing board with the hope of getting maximum points in matches to come.
"I believe we are still so much into it. We will survive relegation. We still have nine matches to go and that is a lot of points to play for," said Ncube.
