Telone and Greenfuel delivered the kind of late twists that can shape a season, with both clubs snatching crucial 2-1 comeback wins yesterday that sent contrasting ripples through the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
TelOne's seven-minute stunner
At The Heart, Yadah led for more than 80 minutes and thought they had the points banked. Then Washington Navaya took charge. The veteran forward struck twice in seven breathless minutes, lifting TelOne to a 2-1 victory that tightens their grip on a top-four chase and keeps him firmly in the Golden Boot race with 15 goals.
"It was a great game, the boys showed resilience and kept believing until the end; even when the opponents thought they had won and tried by all means to frustrate us, we kept cool heads and it paid off," said TelOne coach Herbert Maruwa.
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Yadah had opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time when Evans Rusike's surge forced a save from Criss Mverechena, leaving Shingai Masukuta with an empty net. They could have doubled the lead when King Nadolo rattled the crossbar in the 72nd minute.
Maruwa read the danger differently. He switched from a 4-5-1 to a bold 3-5-2, crowding midfield and adding bite up front. "At half-time I told the boys they were playing good football but just needed to be more calculative in front of goal," he said. "The changes gave our strikers enough time to organise themselves and I am happy two goals eventually came."
Navaya obliged, first pouncing from close range in the 82nd minute, then striking again two minutes later to silence the home crowd and lift TelOne to fifth place on 46 points.
For Yadah, who now sit 16th on the 18-team log, the defeat was another brutal reminder of their inability to protect a lead. "It was a bad day in the office," admitted coach Takaendesa Jongwe. "We could not defend simple goals and I am disappointed because this is not the first time we have let an opponent come from behind to beat us like this. We have made our lives very difficult."
Greenfuel's last-kick escape
Down in Chisumbanje, Greenfuel found their own salvation at the death. Winless in seven games and staring at deeper relegation trouble, they fell behind when Chicken Inn's Lincoln Mangaira headed in from a corner early in the second half.
But coach Rodwell Dhlakama threw on Perfect Chikwende, Washington Mapuwa and Kibra Mhlanga, and the game tilted. In the 77th minute Mapuwa's teasing cross found Clive Rupiya for the equaliser. Still Greenfuel pressed. When Rodwell Chinyengetere was bundled over in stoppage time, Mapuwa kept his nerve and converted the penalty with the final kick.
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Assistant coach Godfrey Tamirepi called it the turning point. "It's been long since we last collected maximum points and we believe this is our turning point as the win will bring the much needed confidence going into the next match, which is a must-win for us against MWOS on the road," he said.
Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas rued missed chances. "We deserved to get at least a point but this is the nature of football where crazy things happen," he said. The loss pulls the Gamecocks closer to the danger zone.
