Regulators Prevail Over Payment Services Providers
Payserv…. (0) 1
RBZ… (2) 5
Basement Encounter
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) football team handed Payserv a 5-1 defeat,their fourteenth of the season, in a Financial Services Soccer League (FSSL) basement encounter played at the Innovate Gym soccer ground in Harare on Saturday, 8 September 2018.
A tale of missed chances
The RBZ opened their account in the 5th minute through double-scorer Bobby Nyika. The Regulators’ captain of the day Gift Guramatunhu piled the pressure on bottom-placed Payserv when he doubled the lead from a free kick on 29 minutes. The RBZ went on to miss a number of chances with the main culprit being Brian Chanhuhwa who could have walked away with a hat-trick had he been more clinical in front of goal. Payserv also had their chances in the first stanza of an otherwise the lop-sided match but were let down by a blunt final third. One of the best chances for the red-shirted payment services providers was on the stroke of half time when a mistake by an RBZ defender presented them with a golden opportunity to reduce the arrears. The confident RBZ goalkeeper Patrick Harry, who was very comfortable on the ball with both his head and feet in a way that would make Arsenal goalkeeper Peter Cech green with envy, made a fine save, parrying the ball back into play. Payserv’s follow up effort however went wide.
Immediately after the restart, Guramatunhu missed a sitter after a cross from the left by Brian Chanhuhwa. About a quarter of an hour later Bobby Nyika secured his second goal of the afternoon and RBZ’s 3rd with a beautifully struck shot from about 30 metres. Shortly thereafter, Kenneth Marovu’s well-taken free kick crashed against the cross bar, denying Payserv one of their best chances of the afternoon. Watson Kanzara, playing on the left, made it 4-0 for RBZ on 69 minutes.
A Coach Named Kepekepe (Who is a DeMbare fan)
With about 10 minutes to play, RBZ made a double-substitution when Sangurai Pamire and Tendekayi Manika came in for Bobby Nyika and goalkeeper Patrick Harry respectively. Pamire scored almost immediately after coming in and he appeared so surprised by the 79th minute goal that he didn’t even celebrate it. Convinced that the game had been won, RBZ coach Godfrey Kepekepe (who is incidentally a DeMbare fan) made another double-substitution with David Sithole and Abel Marumisa replacing Watson Kanzara and Brian Chanhuhwa.
Payserv Thin on the Ground
Although they probably needed it the most, substitution was a luxury Payserv could not afford on the day as they were so thin on the ground with not a single substitute sitting on their bench. The only change they could afford was the goalkeeper swapping roles with one of the infield players. Despite the odds heavily staked against them, the payment service providers got their face-saver in the 87th minute through striker Clifford Kamwe. Bobby Nyika was clearly the man of the match while Captain Kevin Chipidza put in a good shift for the home team.
After this match, Payserv remained rooted to the bottom of the table (10th position) with 3 points and RBZ floated just abover them on 9th position at a tally of 10 points.
Class 2 referee Moven Mutema was firmly in charge of the match and was assisted by Gift Kalowa. The referees handled the match well as there were hardly any on-field protests or howls from the terraces.
Results of the other matches played during the weekend and the latest log standings are as follows:
CABS 1 v Old Mutual 0
FBC 8 v ZB Bank 3
CBZ 2 v SCB 2
Eco 2 v Agribank 1
| Week 17 | FSSL League Table 2018 | ||||||||
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
| 1 | CABS | 16 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 65 | 14 | 51 | 46 |
| 2 | FBC | 16 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 74 | 17 | 57 | 41 |
| 3 | OM | 16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 76 | 16 | 60 | 36 |
| 4 | SCB | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 45 | 21 | 24 | 29 |
| 5 | CBZ | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 34 | 28 | 6 | 26 |
| 6 | AGRI | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 39 | 71 | -32 | 14 |
| 7 | ECO | 17 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 21 | 76 | -55 | 13 |
| 8 | ZB | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 45 | 33 | 12 | 12 |
| 9 | RBZ | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 24 | 75 | -51 | 10 |
| 10 | PAYSERV | 15 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 28 | 100 | -72 | 3 |
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