Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira at Barbourfields Stadium
Highlanders 2-3 Simba Bhora
THIS was supposed to be the day Highlanders turned their fortunes around. Instead, it became yet another chapter in their unravelling season — a fifth match without victory, three defeats, two draws and no respite in sight.
In front of a restless Barbourfields crowd, Bosso once again flattered to deceive, clawing back twice only to fall 2-3 to a fired-up Simba Bhora. The defeat, their third in five win-less outings, ignited fury in the stands and underscored just how far the Bulawayo giants have strayed from their early-season momentum.
It was heartbreak on two fronts: on the pitch, undone by a ruthless Emmanuel Ziocha brace; off it, tragedy struck as a Highlanders supporter fell from the Soweto End terraces, suffering a head injury that saw him rushed to hospital. The match was gripping, but the fallout ran even deeper.
On the touchline, Joel Luphahla stood tall. Once a hero on this very pitch, twice a vanquished coach here with TelOne, he returned to the same ground to savour poetic redemption.
“For me, it’s emotional. I came here with TelOne and lost twice. So, to win today is sweet,” Luphahla said post-match, his composed demeanour masking the significance of the triumph.
“I just told the boys — to win at BF, we have to run. And they did that.”
Run they did.
Simba Bhora signalled their intent from the first whistle. In the 13th minute, Isakar Guribab curled home a peach of a shot from the edge of the area, leaving Raphael Pitisi rooted to the spot. Bosso rallied through Melikhaya Ncube, rising highest to meet Prince Ndlovu’s pinpoint corner.
But just as hope flickered, Highlanders — already under immense pressure — gifted Simba Bhora a life-line before the break. A calamitous mix-up at the back presented Ziocha with the simplest of finishes, restoring Simba’s lead and sending nervous murmurs rippling through the terraces.
The defending champions dictated tempo and territory in the first half, pinning Bosso deep and stifling their attempts to build from the back.
Early in the second half, Simba’s captain Blessing Moyo almost added a third with a curling free kick that cannoned off the crossbar. Guribab had a golden chance to bury the rebound but misfired with the net at his mercy.
With tension rising, Highlanders pressed forward. The Empankweni End roared with urgency, but frustration spilled over after a contentious offside call, prompting an assistant referee to temporarily step back from his duties.
When Never Rauzhi levelled with 10 minutes to go, Barbourfields erupted. The draw felt like a lifeline for Kaindu’s men. But joy was fleeting.
Less than a minute later, Ziocha — alert, instinctive — pounced on a loose ball to volley home the winner. A gut punch for Bosso. A fifth straight match dropping points.
A fifth straight performance marred by defensive lapses. And now, a genuine crisis in confidence.
Even a late red card for Simba’s Tinotenda Meke, dismissed after a reckless lunge just 14 minutes after coming on, couldn’t tilt the result back in Bosso’s favour.
After the final whistle, Highlanders coach Kelvin Kaindu wore the look of a man who knows the pressure is mounting.
“It’s a painful loss, one that doesn’t reflect what was on the pitch,” Kaindu admitted.
“We gave away all three goals. They came from our own mistakes. We looked better in terms of play, but they were good in transition — a complete team.”
Complete. Efficient. Composed. Three things Highlanders haven’t been in weeks.
Their slump is undeniable. The fans know it. Kaindu knows it. Soon, the league table will reflect it, if it doesn’t already.
And on a day that began with hope, it ended with Luphahla — once haunted here — walking away with the spoils, the smile, and the last word.
