A moment of madness left Ngezi Platinum Stars coach Takesure Chiragwi under fire as his side held Dynamos to a 1-1 draw in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League tie at Rufaro Stadium yesterday.
Chiragwi assaulted his own player McDonald Makuwe who was trying to calm him down after the coach had been sent off by referee Lawrence Zimondi.
The 2023 Castle Lager Coach of the Year had seen Ngezi let slip a 10th minute lead to allow Dynamos, who are in a desperate fight against relegation, to draw level, albeit through a 35th minute own goal by the visitors' defender, Brooklyn Katumba.
There were also draws for other relegation-threatened sides, with Yadah drawing 0-0 against FC Platinum at Mandava and Manica Diamonds featuring in a goalless affair with Triangle at Sakubva.
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ZPC Kariba pegged back Bikita Minerals after handing the Lithium Boys a 2-0 defeat at Nyamhunga Stadium.
TelOne were too strong for relegated Kwekwe United, whom they thrashed 3-1 in a Midlands derby at Ascot. But it was Chiragwi who hogged the limelight in a match beamed live on television. He immediately drew condemnation from the Premier Soccer League, who demanded a report from Ngezi via a statement last night.
CAPS breach Simba's fortress, shake up title race
CAPS United ended their winless run and threw the title race wide open after edging Simba Bhora 1-0 in an incident-filled clash at Wadzanai Stadium.
The match was repeatedly halted in the second half due to crowd trouble, with the defending champions slipping to their first home defeat of the season.
Veteran Ishmael Wadi produced the game's decisive moment, unleashing a thunderous shot that beat Simba Bhora goalkeeper William Thole at his near post.
Despite Simba's tactical reshuffle and attacking changes after the break, CAPS stood firm to secure their first victory in three matches.
Under-pressure Makepekepe coach Ian Bakala urged his players not to become complacent.
"We have to forget about this game. Our concentration and focus is on our next home encounter against Manica Diamonds. We have ups and downs at the moment, but I hope we will do better than we did against Simba Bhora," said Bakala.
The Green Machine achieved the win without midfielder Tanaka Shandirwa, whose absence had been a concern before kick-off.
The result lifted CAPS to ninth on the table, temporarily easing their relegation fears.
Simba Bhora, meanwhile, remain four points behind log leaders Scottland with a game in hand, having now won just once in their last five matches across all competitions.
Coach Joel Luphahla vowed to restore confidence in the squad.
"We had vowed to defend our territory, unfortunately we lost our first home game of the season," said Luphahla.
"It takes a lot from me as a leader to make sure the boys stay motivated, especially when they are still smarting from that Champions League exit, which has affected them a lot."
Donald Mudadi was the standout performer for Simba Bhora, but CAPS United's disciplined defending affected their rhythm.
Frustration boiled over late in the game as home supporters hurled missiles at the assistant referee, forcing captain Blessing Moyo, Junior Makunike and Webster Tafa to calm the crowd.
Mensah goal keeps MWOS dream alive
A solitary 62nd goal by second-half substitute Wilson Mensah was all that MWOS needed to overpower visitors GreenFuel at Ngoni Stadium and keep their title dream alive.
MWOS took their points tally to 55, level with second-placed Simba Bhora.
Now, the two sides are four points behind log leaders Scottland with just four games to go to the end of this campaign.
However, Mutasa still insists that MWOS are fighting for a top-eight finish and not the title.
"After hitting the 40 points mark, we reviewed our target to top-eight and I am pleased that we are within range," he said.
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"It was a difficult game. GreenFuel threw everything at us from the onset; they are a team fighting to survive, so obviously they were not going to make life easy for us."
In front of a packed Ngoni, the match started off as a balanced affair, both sides fighting for a fair share of possession, knocking the ball around with ease.
GreenFuel assistant coach Godfrey Tamirepi felt his side were unfortunate not to get at least a point after putting up a good shift.
The defeat leaves the Chisumbanje side in 16th place with 31 points to their name, just one above Yadah.
"We are sitting in a precarious position and a point away from home could have made a difference for us," said Tamirepi.
"Once again it is another day where we play a good game, create chances but then fail to convert and then get punished for the recklessness. We have not lost hope. I still believe we will survive demotion. We have what it takes, so hopefully next game at home we collect the crucial points."
