By McGeorge Mbare
Vhembe Stars Academy (1) 1 Kwekwe Stars (2) 2
VHEMBE Stars Academy has been relegated from the Central Region Soccer League Division One.
Democratic Republic of Congo star Tshiphamba Babadi penned the Beitbridge academy’s departure letter with a first half brace.
The defeat at the hands of second placed Kwekwe United on Saturday at Ronnie’s Sports Arena was the last dance.
And their brass band played to the last as Vhembe Stars Academy fans hearts were broken in the 35th minute when Kwekwe United’s Babadi drew first blood.
Vhembe Stars Academy tried to respond early with Denzel Tadyanemhandu combining with Jayden Matende but his effort went narrowly and agonisingly wide.
Kwekwe United’s Babadi found his second goal of the match in the 42nd minute to give his club a 2-0 lead.
The goal added more pain for the Beitbridge fans.
In the 45th minute, Vhembe Stars Academy’s Davis Nyamukondiwa responded with a brilliant goal to reduce the margin.
The goal was not enough to stop Kwekwe United’s domination in the first half.
The two sides went into halftime with Kwekwe United leading 2-1.
After the restart, Kwekwe United substituted Oncemore Uriri for Kevin Kanganga as they tried to boost their midfield.
Former Dynamos player Patson Jaure defended well alongside Ricky Bota to deny Vhembe Stars Academy any scoring chances.
Former Dulibadzimu United striker Messi Gushero terrorised the Vhembe Stars Academy defence throughout the second half but was unfortunate not to score.
Speaking after the match, Coach Tendai Chikuni said it was a frustrating match considering they had travelled a long distance to play in such hot conditions.
“It was really a tough match, considering that Vhembe Stars Academy were good in midfield, that’s why we made changes to boost ours. The heat was also another factor which made this game difficult too,” Chikuni said.
Chikuni said he was looking forward to finishing his first season as champion, but Blanket Mine emerged as the better team after winning the title.
Speaking after relegation, Vhembe Stars Academy Assistant Coach Paul Mugabiri said it was a painful situation and a painful game.
“This is very hard. You know, as an Academy we were looking to have better results with the youngsters but it didn’t work out. They missed a lot of chances in front of goal instead of scoring,” Mugabiri said.
Speaking after scoring a brace against Vhembe Stars Academy, Kwekwe United forward Babadi said he was very happy to score the goals and is looking forward to improving in the coming season.
“I’m very happy to score these goals but unfortunately we couldn’t win the league, which was our main goal. I keep pushing forward, trying to help my team to produce results, that’s what matters,” Babadi said.
A brace against Vhembe saw Babadi, who is also a Democratic Republic of Congo national, record nine goals in the entire 2026 season.