OnSport Reporter
Hwange FC shot to the top of the Southern Region Soccer League (SRSL) Saturday afternoon after a dramatic 1–1 draw against a resurgent Eagle Life at Raylton Sports Club — in a weekend packed with surprises.
Marcelene Mlilo’s thunderous second-half free-kick had seemingly sealed victory for Chipangano, but Eagle Life had the last word. Zimiseleni Moyo’s side snatched a point late in the game with a powerful header by Brandon Ncube from a well-worked set piece.
Despite dropping two points, Hwange’s solitary point proved enough to catapult them to the summit of the table with 20 points from nine matches.
Raylton, a tough venue, remained true to form as Eagle Life made it another bruising outing for visitors.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo Chiefs failed to capitalise on home advantage and were shockingly defeated by a spirited Nkayi United side at the Chiefs Village, surrendering top spot in the process.
In a match they were widely expected to win, Amakhosi Amahle unravelled against an inspired Nkayi outfit.
Captain Moreblessing Ernesto opened the scoring for Nkayi before Raphael Manuvire equalised with a brilliant free-kick.
The game’s standout moment, however, came from James Chivasa, whose stunning volley, a strong contender for Goal of the Season, secured all three points for Nkayi United.
The loss saw Chiefs drop to second with 19 points, while Nkayi climbed to third with 16.
Daniel Ndlovu’s charges have only suffered one defeat this season and are emerging as the league’s dark horses.
With experienced players like Grant Chigwenhese, Chivasa, Gift Gumpo, and goalkeeper Delron Chuma, Nkayi’s grit and composure were on full display on Saturday.
Coupled with youngsters such as Nhlanhla Fumapano and Karel Jawa, they may be surprise contenders for the promotion crown.
Casmyn also made significant strides towards the leading pack, edging Zebra Revolution 2–1 at White City Stadium on Saturday.
The Turk Mine-based outfit now sits level on points with Nkayi.
SRSL action kicked off on Friday, with Hwange side Blackrock staging a dramatic comeback against Bulawayo Warriors at White City Stadium. Trailing at the break, Blackrock turned the match around in the second half with goals from Francis Chulu and substitute Tholumusa Ndebele, sealing a 2–1 victory.
John Ngwenya’s spectacular strike, a thunderbolt on the run from the edge of the box, was nearly the goal of the weekend, only narrowly eclipsed by Chivasa’s masterpiece the following day.
Blackrock coach Mthulisi Maphosa’s halftime changes proved crucial. “In the first half, the boys didn’t follow instructions. We made key changes during the break, and that’s why we returned a different team. We’re still a work in progress,” he said.
The win pushed Blackrock to joint third on 16 points, level with Casmyn and Nkayi. Megawatt FC are on 14 points after edging Ajax Hotspurs Movers 1–0 at the White City B-Arena to move to ninth position.
Bosso 90 continued their good form with a 1–0 win over Imbizo on Sunday afternoon. Goalkeeper Romeo Zimba converted from the penalty spot to secure maximum points for Melusi Sibanda’s side.
The Highlanders development team is now in seventh place, just five points off the top.
Elsewhere, Mainline stunned Bulawayo City, whose hopes of closing the gap on the leaders were dashed. A win would have taken City to within one point of Chiefs and two of Hwange. Mainline, who drew with Chiefs last week, are finding their rhythm and climbed to 12th.
In other results: Talen Vision beat Jordan 2–0, while Vic Falls City Herentals FC registered their first away win of the season, defeating NUST 2–0 at NUST Stadium.
