By Delicious Mathuthu
Gweru, Zimbabwe – In a thrilling encounter played at Mkoba Stadium, 13 Stars FC emerged victorious over debutants Herentals FC, with a convincing 3-0 win in the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Midlands Province Division 2 Football League.
The Mkoba-based club’s victory comes hot on the heels of another, where they collected maximum points in their first 2025 season outing against Mberengwa’s TMZ FC at Mkoba Poly Grounds on week one.
13 Stars won the match 3-1 courtesy of a brace from Robie Kufa and a goal from Melokuhle Mpinga, while TMZ FC’s consolation goal come from Nqobani Sibanda.
On match day two against Herentals at Mkoba Stadium on Saturday, 13 Stars FC’s Robie Kufa scored another brace, with Nigel Asani adding the third goal to seal the victory.
13 Stars FC coach, Takudzwa Mhondiwa, said the match was a tough one since it was a Mkoba derby, but managed to showcase his team’s skill and strategy.
“The match was quite competitive as it was a derby, we played very well. We used most of the chances we got and managed to score, the opponents of course were sloppy in their defence and we managed to score and win,” Mhondiwa said in a post-match interview.
Mhondiwa expressed his team’s ambition to finish top of the league and earn promotion to the ZIFA Central Region Region Division One League next season.
“Our aim for the season is to finish on top, yes it could be difficult along the way but next year we want to play in division one.
“If you look at the community giving us support, it’s almost everyone in Gweru and we want to make them happy,” he said.
Although it is still too early in the league, the win boosts13 Stars FC’s standings in the Division 2A league, giving them a good footing.
Meanwhile, Herentals FC will look to regroup and bounce back in their next match against TMZ FC at the same venue, Mkoba Stadium.
Herentals FC coach, Tatenda Mandizha, attributed their loss to fatigue and lack of training, citing the team’s participation in the Herentals Group of Colleges gala in Harare.
“We played well but we had some challenges because we did not train well. We were in Harare for the Herentals Group of Colleges gala so some of the players went there and some of the players remained this side and did not train together during the week,” Mandizha said.
Mandizha, however, expressed optimism about his team’s prospects.
“We are adjusting to the new environment, as you can see our players are mostly going to school, form 4s and form 5s.
“They are not yet as strong but hopefully as we go they will get used to it and maybe in the next three games we will get better results and go up on the log table,” he said.
Midlands Province Division 2 League Match Day 2 Results:
Division 2A League
- Herentals FC 0-3 13 Stars FC
- PAMS Academy FC 1-1 MBESA FC
- All Stars Somabhula FC 1-2 Bethel FC
- Sabi Gold FC 1-1 Black Eagles FC
- Siwawa FC 0-3 Shurugwi FC
- Shurugwi South FC 0-2 Whawha FC
- Chiponjeka FC 2-0 Great Dyke FC
Division 2B League
- Target Warriors FC 0-1 Silobela United FC
- Flame Lily FC 0-3 Good Morning FC
- CKMI Rumhuma FC 2-2 Rio Tinto FC
- Wapinda FC 1-1 Hard Rock Legends FC
- FC Bullets 0-0 Air Stars FC
- Manyama FC 1-3 Gothic FC
- Chipaz Academy FC 4-1 Jena Mines FC
- Chesterfields Giants FC 1-0 Black Stars FC
Upcoming Match Day 3 Fixtures:
Division 2A League
Sunday 20/04/25
- Whawha FC vs Chiponjeka FC (Whawha Grounds, 1500 hrs)
- Black Eagles FC vs Siwawa FC (Simbi Stadium, 1500 hrs)
- 13 Stars FC vs PAMS Academy FC (Mkoba Polytechnic Clinic Ground, 1500 hrs)
- Shurugwi FC vs Shurugwi South FC (Makusha Stadium, 1500 hrs)
- Herentals FC vs TMZ FC (Mkoba Stadium, 1500 hrs)
- Great Dyke FC vs King Lions FC (1500 hrs)
Monday 21/04/25
- MBESA FC vs All Stars Somabhula FC (Vanguard Ground, 1500 hrs)
- Bethel FC vs Sabi Gold FC (Bethel Pry Sch Ground, 1500 hrs)
Division 2B League
Sunday 20/04/25
- Hard Rock Legends FC vs FC Bullets (Amaveni Stadium, 1500 hrs)
- Air Stars FC vs Manyama FC (Zisco Club Stadium, 1500 hrs)
- Silobela United FC vs Flame Lily FC (Silobela Ground, 1500 hrs)
- Rio Tinto FC vs Wapinda FC (Rio High School Ground, 1500 hrs)
- Jena Mines FC vs Black Stars FC (Jena Mines Ground, 1500 hrs)
- Target Warriors FC vs Chesterfields Giants FC (Ezinkulu Ground, 1500 hrs)
- Gothic FC vs Chipaz Academy FC (Gothic 2 Mine, 1500 hrs)
Monday 21/04/25