Another draw, another blow as Bosso falter against lively Students

Tadious Manyepo

HIGHLANDERS drifted through yet another uneasy afternoon, caught somewhere between promise and frustration, and in the end had to make their peace with a draw against a lively, unyielding Herentals side in this Premiership encounter at Rufaro yesterday. There was a familiar ache to it all, the sense of a performance that never quite found its full voice, as Bosso’s season continues to sway uncertainly between fleeting moments of control and long stretches of doubt.

That means Bosso drew their eighth game in 10 matches this season having won once and drawn as many inside four days last week. It is the kind of statistic that hangs in the air long after the final whistle, quietly unsettling, hinting at missed chances and unclaimed victories that could have told a very different story.

It’s a trend that has left coach Benjani Mwaruwari a worried lot. For a man who knows the demands and weight of expectation that comes with Highlanders, there is little comfort to be found in performances that promise so much yet deliver so little in the end.

The Bulawayo giants drew first blood when Zambian striker Isaac Ngoma slotted home from the penalty spot but Tinashe Mazambani headed the home side back at the stroke of half time. It was a tale of two halves in miniature, Highlanders bright and assertive before the break, only to lose their grip as the game tilted and Herentals gathered belief.

That settled the fixture with Herentals taking their tally to 17, five behind leaders CAPS United who play Bulawayo Chiefs at the same venue today. For Highlanders, the draw was yet another setback as they struggle to find their feet in the league this season, their campaign unfolding in hesitant steps rather than the confident stride their supporters yearn for.

It felt like a slap in their face especially after fluffing clear chances and subsequently allowed the Students to claw back into it. They could even have dropped all the points without a stroke of luck right towards the death had the far side assistant not controversially flagged Webster Dombo’s goal.

“We needed to defend well, and we didn’t, and we got our chances, we didn’t convert them. It’s disappointing, but that’s football. You know, first half we dominated, as I said. Second half, it was all theirs. We looked disjointed.

Normally, we come strong in the second half, playing good football, but second half we didn’t do that. We were disjointed, and they could have buried that game if luck wasn’t on their side,” lamented Benjani.

Herentals coach Paul Benza, by contrast, spoke with the composed satisfaction of a man who had watched his side dig deep and respond with character.

“It was a very difficult match, but overall I’m happy, especially with the way the boys addressed themselves when we were one goal down. I’m very happy because coming back against a team like Highlanders and a team that is not winning games, it’s something that I should credit everybody. Overall I’m very happy.”

Highlanders had burst out with intent, Mongameli Tshuma weaving his way into dangerous areas and creating openings that promised much, yet Ngoma, Prince Ndlovu and Never Rauzhi could not make them count. There was a certain artistry in Tshuma’s play, a lightness that seemed to dance just beyond the reach of defenders, but it needed a finishing touch that never quite arrived.

Tshuma’s trickery was always going to earn Bosso a goal and with six minutes before the break, he was felled inside the box. Ngoma stepped up with calm assurance and rolled the ball past Herentals goalkeeper Tinotendaishe Takarinda to give the visitors the lead. Still, the uneasy truth lingered — they should have been out of sight by then.
Herentals, however, are made of sterner stuff. They refused to fold, refused to be spectators in their own story. Right before the break, they forced a corner, Wilmore Chimbetu swinging it in with menace and intent. What followed was chaos, bodies scrambling, the ball bouncing invitingly, and amid it all Mazambani rose to the moment, guiding it home to level the scores and shift the mood entirely.