adminRicky Zililo in BULAWAYO
Chicken Inn………………………………….……(1) 2
Highlanders………………………………………(0)2
PRITCHARD MPHELELE’S first touch of the game in the 89th minute saved Highlanders from a Bulawayo derby defeat to Chicken Inn at Barbourfields yesterday.
Bosso fought from 0-2 down to salvage a point.
It was Highlanders’ third Premiership game without a victory.
Their last win was a 2-0 victory over Triangle United.
For Chicken Inn, the draw saw their three-match winning streak coming to an end, but they will take consolation that they stretched their unbeaten run to four games.
The draw cost Chicken Inn second place on the table to Dynamos following their 1-0 win over Whawha.
Unlike last week, when they gave FC Platinum too much respect, yesterday Highlanders started the match enjoying more possession and camping in their opponents’ half for the better part of the first half.
However, it was Chicken Inn who shot into the lead, two minutes before the break, when Marlvin Gaki sent Highlanders’ goalie Ariel Sibanda the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Chicken Inn won a penalty after Godfrey Makaruse handled in the box.
Chicken Inn doubled their lead in the 62nd minute through a well struck Munashe Pini goal to complete a good build-up that found Highlanders’ players napping into silence the majority Bosso crowd.
To their credit, Highlanders fought back and reduced the deficit through Stanley Ngala, who blasted home a loose ball from inside the box in a goalmouth melee.
The goal inspired Highlanders to throw everything at Chicken Inn in search of an equaliser and in the 78th minute, Chicken Inn goalkeeper Donovan Donovan was lucky to escape a red card after punching Bosso midfielder Divine Mhindirira in an off the ball incident.
Four minutes later, Donovan summoned his reflexes to tip the ball over the bar to save what would have been an own goal by Vincent Moyo.
Highlanders’ persistence paid off in the 89th minute when Mphelele, who had replaced the injured Andrew Mbeba, scored with his first touch after ghosting in from the blind side to tap in a Crispen Ncube cross.
Bosso went on to survive an injury time scare when Chicken Inn won a freekick on the edge of the box and Tafadzwa Kutinyu narrowly missed the target.
Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas felt his side dropped two valuable points.
“I don’t want to talk about referees, but I feel the first goal was a foul and it triggered Highlanders back into the game. It was an entertaining game and we lost two points because of our failure to defend,” said Antipas.
His counterpart BaltemarBrito said: “In our opinion it was a good game, an entertaining game. It’s not easy to come from two goals down.
“At least, the boys showed they have a big heart and believed they could perform.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter