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Gunners coach Kudakwashe Masaraure

Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
A FIRST-HALF goal by McDonald Motsi was all Gunners needed to book their place in the semi-finals of the Yadah TV Knockout Cup as they dismissed Starbill 1-0 at Lafarge on Saturday.Motsi scored the crucial goal 23 minutes into the game to give his side the much-needed victory for them to progress to the last four.

Gunners came in as the favourites because of their performance in the World Navi Northern Region Division One soccer league and they proved why they are leading in the championship race when they beat Starbill on Saturday.

The coach of the former Premiership champions, Kudakwashe Masaraure, was a happy man as he said they really needed to win the game to silence their critics.

“The game was okay, we played well. It’s a game we needed to win. There were some comments about Prophet (Walter Magaya) sponsoring the cup, some were criticising him and we need to protect his name. So we sat down with the players and told them what was at stake. And they really played well.

“We had the upper-hand in the first half and were able to score but in the second half it was windy so the guys were just defending, which saw Starbill playing well. The ball was always in our half and I think that’s what affected us.

“Both teams played well but what made the difference was that we played well and managed to score while they (Starbill) did well in the second half but failed to score. So it was just a matter of utilising the chance we got,” said Masaraure.

The Gunners coach said their win against Starbill is a boost to the team and believes they will go all the way to the final.

“Like any cup game I was afraid to lose the quarter-final match but I think by winning, it boosted the team and I can see that it’s possible to win the cup. We should go into the final and make sure we win the trophy,” said Masaraure.

His counterpart, Patson Muzavazi, said the failure to convert the chances that came their way was their downfall in Saturday’s game.

“We were just unfortunate not to score because definitely the team was on top of the situation. Gunners got just a single chance and they buried that chance.

“When we went to the second half it was all Starbill throughout. We were dominating them in midfield but we could not find the target. It wasn’t our day because we did everything, we went into the box several times but could not score. It was a painful result after having done everything, creating chances, playing good and in possession of the ball but not getting a goal at the end of the day,” said Muzavazi.

In the semi-finals, Gunners will take on the winner between Mushowani and Lake Harvest, who are set to play on the weekend of September 27 and 28.