Munetsi back with a bang

Warriors midfielder Marshall Munetsi announced his return from injury by firing a brace in Stade de Reims’ 5-0 trouncing of 10-men Bordeaux Girondins in a Ligue 1 tie on Sunday.

Munetsi has been out injured for exactly two months after he suffered a muscle a muscle strain against Lyon on December 1 as he was making a return from another injury incurred on national duty.

The 25-year-old also missed the Afcon finals in Cameroon through injury.

Introduced in the 36th following an injury to Moreto Cassama, Munetsi scored in the first minute of the second half doubling Reims’s score after they had taken the lead through Hugo Ekitike five minutes before the break.

Munetsi was not finished as he sealed the emphatic win 14 minutes from time after further strikes from Azor Matusiwa and Wout Faes.

Bordeaux finished the match one man less after Ukrainian midfielder Danylo Ihnatenko was red carded in the 72nd minute with his team trialing 4-0

Reims will be hoping that the Zimbabwean midfielder who missed six matches in October and November last year and a further nine matches in December and January will remain fit for the rest of the season.

The versatile Munetsi, who is primarily used as a defensive midfielder, now has four league goals since arriving in France in 2019 from South African giants Orlando Pirates. The other two goals were scored during his first two seasons in Ligue 1.

His paymasters Reims are now 14th on the Ligue 1 table with 27 points while Bordeaux is fighting to stay away from relegation in 19th with 20 points.

Stade de Reims have kept a clean sheet in eight of their 23 games, only Olympique Marseille (11) and Rennes (10) have done this more often in the French Ligue 1 this season.