PREMIER Soccer League new comers found the going tough when domestic football action resumed at the weekend with only Cranborne Bullets winning their match.
It was a baptism of fire for teams that were promoted into the top flight with only army side, Cranborne Bullets finding a way to collect maximum points in the first round of matches in the Chibuku Super Cup.
The performance on the field of play was in sharp contrast to the pre-match confidence with Correctional Services side WhaWha the biggest casualties after a 6-nil drubbing by league champions FC Platinum in a Group 4 opener at Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane on Saturday.
It was the same story for another prison side, Tenax who got a rude awakening after 4-1 thumping at the hands of Black Rhinos in a group 3 encounter at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare.
Premiership returnees, Bulawayo City did not fare any better as they lost 2-nil to Chicken Inn at Barbourfields in Group 2.
Cranborne Bullets were the odd ones out among the new comers as they showed some touches of brilliance with their ball retention and sleek passing earning them maximum points after edging Manica Diamonds 1-nil at Sakubva on Sunday.
There was also an interesting outcome in Group 1, where all the three matches ended in draws with Caps United being held to a 2-all draw by Yadah, followed by a one-all draw between Harare City and ZPC Kariba as well as a drab nil-all stalemate in the match featuring Herentals and Dynamos.
In terms of individual performance, the weekend belonged to Rodwell Chinyengetere who scored the first hat-trick of the season in FC Platinum’s 6-0 victory over Whawha.
Former, Dynamos midfielder Denver Mukamba also took the opportunity to remind local football FANS that he remains one of the best players in the domestic league after scoring the best individual goal in Ngezi Platinum’s 3-1 win over Triangle.
Mukamba added another and was joined on two goals by Ali Sadiki of FC Platinum and CAPS United’s Ishmael Wadi who also found the back of the net twice during the opening weekend of domestic football.
All in all, a massive 25 goals were scored in the opening round of matches with only one match ending in a nil-all stalemate.
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