Ex-Orlando Pirates forward Gilbert Mushangazhike was close to tears on Saturday after his dream to lead Golden Eagles into Zimbabwe’s elite league was shattered by Cuthbert Malajila’s CUMA academy.
Mushangazhike and his Golden Eagles were frontrunners since the start of the season and had been tipped to get the passage into the top-flight league.
But their plot started derailing after a 1-0 loss to Herentals Under 20 a fortnight ago, and the 3-2 defeat to CUMA academy was the final blow.
They dropped to third position, nine points behind leaders Simba Bhora with three games left to play.
It is now left for Simba Bhora and Herentals Under 20 to fight for the promotion ticket, though with the former having advantage.
“I’m disappointed with this. We were on course, but this defeat ended our slim chances. I’m disappointed,” the former Pirates coach Mushangazhike said.
“It always comes out bad if you lose the last games. They are crucial in shaping who wins the championship or who plays second. We will remain focused, but the result we got is a massive disappointment.”
Mushangazhike took charge of the team when Joel Luphahla, a former SuperSport player, parted ways with the club to join Highlanders.
He presided over 14 matches where they picked 23 points out of a possible 42 points.
His predecessor, Luphahla, says it was always going to be difficult for Mushangazhike to work with a team he did not assemble.
“It was difficult for coach Gidza (Mushangazhike) because he didn’t assemble the team I left.
“So for any coach, it’s expected to run into such complications because he had to work with the material he didn’t put together.
“I give thumbs up to what he has achieved so far because every coach would want to have his players for his philosophy to be understood.
“I’m hoping that next year, with more time, he can get the desired results because Golden Eagles FC demands only perfection,” Luphahla told FARPost.
