Tadious Manyepo, Sports Reporter
CAPS United . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1)1
Yadah Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1
YADAH Stars' second-half substitute Ryan Ncube gave them the inspiration they needed to boost their character after stealing a point with a sharp goal in this Castle Lager Premiership draw at Rufaro yesterday.
CAPS United looked well on their way to pocketing the full points as they dominated in all phases of play, especially after taking the lead through William Manondo, who got his 12th strike this season two minutes before the break.
But for all their industry, art, and tact, the Green Machine failed to get the insurance goal to secure the game.
In the end, Yadah decided to risk it and they got their due reward with 23 minutes on the clock when Ncube shot perfectly off a fine lay back pass from the impressive Jerry Chipangura.
Makepekepe needed the win to atone for their Chibuku Super Cup exit last week and give themselves a chance to fight for a top-four finish in the league.
And they showed it right from the time referee Mercy Mayimbo blew the first whistle.
But it was a Yadah outfit that was missing their main man Khama Billiat through suspension, who instead had a first sniff at goal with a clear chance with just 40 seconds on the clock.
Former Warriors striker Evans Rusike got to the end of a loose ball that lured CAPS United goalkeeper Ashley Rayners out of his line but his lob narrowly missed the target.
The miss awakened Makepekepe who relentlessly bombarded the Yadah's box with Junior Bunjira, as he often does, the main axis in their advanced play.
But in their pursuit of the opening goal, Lloyd Chitembwe's men were leaving some key pockets of space unattended at the back, and on such occasions, the Yadah forays into the final third should have paid dividends. Terrence Maguranyanga ought to have done far much better than leaning back and shooting over unmarked in the box for the Miracle Boys.
Soon after that calamitous miss, Yadah dearly for it.
Manondo was home to plant a header beyond Mathias Kigonya in goals for Yadah and retake control of the Golden Boot race with a one-goal advantage over the pair of Highlanders' Lynoth Chikuhwa and Billiat.
In a similar tale to the opening half, Yadah almost scored right from the restart but Chipangura's shot went over.
Makepekepe then dictated the game as they had done in the opening phase but that finished product never came out.
And the more the scoreline remained 1-0, the more Yadah believed they would come right back into it.
Perhaps Makepekepe should have taken heed of warning signs and reshaped their approach when Ncube thundered the underside of Rayners' crossbar right on the hour mark. But they didn't and seven minutes later, the very man whose introduction tilted the game a bit, got it right and he even had a shout for a penalty, which was waived away though, when his leg looked to have been cluttered by Rayners moments later.
Makepekepe tried to get that goal that would restore their lead but the hunger seemed to thin out as fatigue also crept onto them when in decisive spaces.
Chitembwe felt the points should have gone his team's way had his players been decisive in dealing with the situation that resulted in Ncube's goal.
"I thought we gave it away.
"It was a game that we had control and dominance," said Chitembwe.
"But in the second half, we made quite several mistakes defensively.
"If you make those mistakes at this level, you get punished and their (Yadah) equaliser came from our own mistake. But it was a good game of football overall."
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His Yadah counterpart Thomas Ruzive was happy with the point although he rightly felt his team should have scored at least three goals given the number of clear chances they fashioned out however, erratic.
Makepekepe are now in seventh place on the log after taking their tally to 38 points while Yadah are slowly but surely moving out of the relegation discourse with 34 points to their name now.
Teams:
CAPS United: Phineas Bamusi, Eric Manokore, Bruce Kangwa, Godknows Murwira, Emmanuel Mbollo, Hastings Chapusha (Innocent Zambezi 58min), Junior Bunjira (Ian Nyoni 46min (Courage Sithole 88min), Kingsley Mureremba, Rodwell Chinyengetere, William Manondo (Lot Chiwunga 73min)
Yadah Stars: Mathias Kigonya, Emmanuel Chitauro, Tafadzwa Rusike (Ariel Makopa 90mins), Blessed Ndereki, Anotidaishe Gwatidzo, Terrence Maguranyanga (Vincent Sango 73min), Marvellous Ferenando, Jerry Chipangura, Clive Mandivei, Evans Rusike (Ryan Ncube 59min), Francis Mustafa (Mandlenkosi Mlilo 52min)
