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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
HIGHLANDERS might have failed to take full control of the championship race on Sunday but, even in defeat, Bosso showed a lot of quality to suggest that there is still a lot of life in their campaign to win the league title.Kelvin Kaindu and his men might be deflated right now, wondering how a very solid performance could not be rewarded with a victory or, in the worst case scenario, a draw as bitter rivals Dynamos came, saw and conquered right in the fortress that Bosso call home.
But while Highlanders blew a golden chance to seize full control of this race, and in the process effectively end DeMbare’s campaign to complete a hat-trick of league title wins, they are still very much in the running of this riveting contest.
It’s very unlikely that Kaindu will find any faults in the way his men responded to the challenge, under very tense circumstances at home, given that Bosso gave it their all with the impressive Bruce Kangwa leading their charge with a hearty performance that deserved more reward than going home without a point to show for all that industry.
If there is a man who could have thrown all his plans into disarray, then it must be Njabulo Ncube, his big-match forward, whose dismissal in the first half, for retaliation after being fouled by Partson Jaure, left his forward line looking a bit lightweight.
Kaindu’s case was not helped by revelations that Masimba Mambare, the other forward who could have supplied the goals, was not in perfect physical condition after falling sick, in the countdown to the big match.
Bosso are just one point off the pace and they can take heart from their good performance on Sunday into their final four games knowing that if they can play as well as they did that day, they can fancy their chances of winning all their remaining games.
That fixture programme, of course, includes a date against Harare City, who are also in the championship race, in the penultimate match of the season, with the Sunshine City Boys enjoying home advantage in that game.
But having produced a game rich in quality and pregnant in spirit, against an opponent that raised the bar and in a pressure-cooker atmosphere where average teams would have wilted, there is no reason why Highlanders should bury their heads in the sand following their defeat on Sunday.
For long periods in that match, they looked full value for a victory, although to their credit, the DeMbare defensive wall stood firm and proud, and that the goal that finally separated the giants came from the penalty spot, showed how close this match was.
Warriors’ coach, Ian Gorowa, said he felt Bosso should have closed shop, when the game headed towards the close, because a draw would have suited their mission and rather than keep attacking with a lot of men forward, they could have made defence their priority.
“The point is that a draw would have suited Highlanders better than Dynamos and I think, towards the end, they should have gone for a decision to close shop and protect their point which would have kept them two points ahead of their big rivals,” said Gorowa.
“But they kept on going all out trying to get a victory, which isn’t a bad thing to do, but when you have done so much, in terms of attacking, and you haven’t been rewarded with a goal, you can also start looking at other possibilities and, to me, a draw would have been a good result for Highlanders.
“Maybe it’s something to do with Dynamos knowing how to handle these huge games because they have been in these situations before but, towards the end, I felt Bosso could have chosen to be cautious and slow the game down, even have more bodies at the back, and settle for the draw.”
Gorowa was also impressed by the way Kangwa imposed himself on the game, especially in the attacking phase when Bosso were going forward.
“I think Bruce Kangwa is a left winger, not a left back, because going forward, he is very good,” said Gorowa. “But I expected more from Milton Ncube and from Masimba Mambare, these are national team players and I was keeping an eye on them, and I hear Masimba was not feeling well, in the lead up to the game, and had to take some medication, which meant he probably wasn’t in the best possible shape.
“I also felt that Rio (Peter Moyo) should have imposed himself from the first whistle because I think he became prominent when Dynamos made changes and sacrificed one of their midfielders after the red cards.
“Rio was fine in the second half but I want to see him playing at such a tempo throughout the game and not just for a part of the game.”
Highlanders are expected to bounce back to winning ways, in their next game, when they meet relegated Motor Action in Harare while Dynamos have another tricky hurdle to clear when they travel to a buoyant Triangle.
Harare City have a tricky away game against Black Rhinos at Rimuka but, given the way Bigboy Mawiwi and his men have been going about their business, it’s difficult to see them faltering at Rimuka while CAPS United have an away date against Buffaloes and FC Platinum host Chicken Inn.
Bosso might have lost the Battle of Zimbabwe but there is still so much to fight for, with a dozen points on the board, and so many landmines to clear for anyone to suggest that the result from Barbourfields marks the end of their campaign.
Top Five Teams Last Four Games
DYNAMOS
vs Triangle (away)
vs Shabanie (home)
vs Chicken Inn (away)
vs Black Mambas (home)
HARARE CITY
vs Black Rhinos (away)
vas Motor Action (home)
vs Highlanders (home)
vs CAPS United (away)
HIGHLANDERS
vs Motor Action (away)
vs Triangle (home)
vs Harare City (away)
vs Shabanie (home)
FC PLATINUM
vs Chicken Inn (away)
vs Black Mambas (home)
vs How Mine (away)
vs Buffaloes (home)
CAPS UNITED
vs Buffaloes (away)
vs Black Rhinos (home)
vs Motor Action (away)
vs Harare City (home)
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