Berea FC secured a place in the quarterfinal of the Zimunga Soccer Tournament after winning two matches at the Muswodi Dipeni grounds last weekend.
They beat Ngalavhani FC 4-1 on Saturday before crushing Muraluwe Shining Bombers by the same margin the following day.
Their game against Ngalavhani was a thriller from the onset. It took Berea only nine minutes to stamp their authority. Their left winger, Elias Ranyasa, dribbled past four Ngalavhani defenders and beat the keeper with a ground cutter.
Ngalavhani did not give in without a fight, despite conceding the early goal. They initiated numerous dangerous moves from behind, giving the defenders of Berea no time to breathe. Their efforts paid dividends in the 28th minute. Tshedza Nemahunguni beat the offside trap and sent the keeper the wrong way.
The captain of Ngalavhani, Murendeni Negwangwatini, was booked for a late tackle on Ernest Simba two minutes before the teams adjourned for the half-time break.
The second half saw Berea pressing hard in their search for a winning goal. Edwin "Cafu" Ramphabana, the Berea veteran striker, was unfortunate in the 54th minute. He received a neat pass from his captain, Dakalo Ratshitanga, just outside the box and unleashed a ground cutter. The ball hit the side net for a goal kick.
Both sides made one replacement to their starting lineup in the last half. Berea replaced Kgasago Mabu with Murendeni Makonde while Ngalavhani introduced Atshidzaho Tshifularo for Tshedza Nemahunguni.
Berea took the lead in the 65th minute. Dakalo Ratshitanga, who scored a hat trick in the game, was on target, following a square pass from Elias Ranyasa. Ratshitanga scored two more goals in quick succession towards the end of the game.
Berea's goals against Muraluwe Shining Bombers were scored by Dakalo Ratshitanga, Edwin Ramphabana (2) and Elias Ranyasa.