HARARE – Ngezi Platinum have written their own piece of club history by clinching their first premiership trophy with two games to spare.
In a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Match Day 32 fixture, the impressive outfit beat Simba Bhora 2-1 at Baobab on Saturday to take their points tally to an unassailable 63 points.
The new champions had to come from behind to beat the premiership debutants who took the lead from a 39th minute strike by Tinashe Balakasi.
Madamburo fought back and restored parity through a spot kick converted by defender Kudzai Chigwida after 63 minutes.
Takunda Benhura struck a minute before full time to confirm three points for the platinum points.
Joined by home fans, players broke into song soon after the referee blew his final whistle to punctuate the historic moment.
In fact, winning the clash was merely out of arrogance by Takesure Chiragwi’s men who could still afford to clinch the premiership with a draw – or less – after second-placed Manica Diamonds failed to beat Cranborne Bullets at the National Sports Stadium.
The Mhondoro based outfit join football cousins FC Platinum among the only teams resident outside Harare and Bulawayo to clinch the domestic game’s most coveted prize.
Meanwhile, while it was jubilation in the Ngezi Platinum camp, the story was different at Cranborne Bullets who confirmed their relegation to the lower rungs of the domestic game.
Cranborne Bullets, now on 27 points, played to a goalless draw with Manica Diamonds.
This means that even if they win their last remaining two games, they cannot survive the chop as they can only take their points tally to just 33 and cannot upstage Sheasham, placed number 14 on 35 points.
Four teams face relegation from the premiership.
In another Match Day 32 fixture played Saturday, Sheasham and ZPC Kariba drew 2-2 at Bata.
