Young Punters Hold Their Nerve to Seal Thrilling Win Over Chegutu Pirates

MWOS FC U19 produced an entertaining attacking display at MWOS Ngoni Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, overcoming Chegutu Pirates FC 4-2 in a six-goal encounter that swung dramatically during the final stages.

The Young Punters started with purpose and quickly established control, combining their movement in midfield with a willingness to attack the spaces around the visitors’ defence.

The pressure paid off in the 10th minute.

Alex Matariro delivered a dangerous corner into the box, and Keith Handirade rose highest to power his header beyond the Chegutu goalkeeper and give the Young Punters the lead.

Blessing Mazambani then came close to adding a second when his curling effort from distance forced a sharp save, as MWOS FC U19 continued to threaten from range.

Chegutu struggled to contain the Young Punters’ attacking movement, and the second goal arrived in the 35th minute.

Mazambani slipped a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Timmy Kushata, who raced through before keeping his composure to finish and make it 2-0.

The Young Punters were not finished.

Five minutes before half-time, Kushata turned provider, picking out Cleopas Masumbuko in front of goal. Masumbuko made no mistake, sending the ball home to give MWOS FC U19 a commanding 3-0 advantage at the break.

The second half, however, told a very different story.

Chegutu Pirates came out with greater urgency and began finding more space as the game opened up. The Young Punters remained dangerous, with Kushata seeing a free-kick from just outside the box clip the top of the crossbar.

Chegutu also created moments of pressure, including a dangerous corner that the Young Punters managed to clear.

With the game becoming increasingly stretched, Coach Peter Ngwenya turned to his bench. Tendai Chisenzere and Pardon Nyandoro were introduced in the 68th minute, before Takudzwa Darkeni, Noah Simango and Marlon Nyapfere joined the action ten minutes later.

Chegutu’s persistence eventually paid off in the 82nd minute when they pulled one goal back.

Suddenly, the comfortable 3-0 advantage was under pressure.

Five minutes later, the visitors struck again to make it 3-2, transforming the final minutes into a tense battle of concentration and composure.

The Young Punters, however, had the final say.

With the clock approaching 90 minutes, Kushata drove into the box and produced a composed finish to complete his brace, restore the two-goal advantage and put the result beyond doubt.

It was a fitting finish to an afternoon in which MWOS FC U19 had showcased both their attacking quality and their ability to respond when the momentum shifted.

Coach Peter Ngwenya praised the overall performance while acknowledging the contrasting nature of the two halves.

“It was a wonderful performance. We played two different halves. First half we played very well, second half we were a bit sloppy, but we are happy about the result.”

Ngwenya also highlighted the benefit of the squad having had a weekend break.

“The rest we got during the past weekend helped us retain our energy levels.”

The victory provides the Young Punters with a positive finish to September, but more importantly, it was a reminder that even a three-goal lead is never truly safe until the final whistle.

At 3-2, Chegutu had the momentum.

At 4-2, Kushata had the last word.

And the Young Punters had the points.