Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira at Barbourfields Stadium,
Highlanders 1-2 Caps United
CAPS United waited eleven years for this, then did the hard work early and survived the storm late.
They beat Highlanders 2-1 at Barbourfields yesterday, ending a long, stubborn run without a win at Emagumeni, and it came down to a sharp first half and set pieces Bosso never really dealt with.
Highlanders only woke up after the break. By then, the damage was already done.
CAPS came out with intent. Takunda Benhura, Ishmael Wadi and Obriel Chirinda ran at Bosso from the first whistle and the home side looked rattled.
Inside two minutes, Andrew Mbeba had to throw himself into a sliding tackle to stop Benhura. Moments later, goalkeeper Aron Ngwenya rushed off his line to deny Wadi.
It kept coming.
In the 10th minute, Dominic Njaliwa pounced on confusion between Ngwenya and Nomore Chinyerere, only to see his effort crash against the crossbar.
Bosso couldn’t get a grip. CAPS had the ball, the territory and the sharper edge.
The breakthrough felt inevitable and it came in the 36th minute. Kudzai Chigwida slipped in behind and powered home from close range after a well-worked free-kick.
That first half told the story. CAPS were cleaner, quicker, more switched on. Highlanders were chasing shadows.
The second half flipped the mood.
Bosso came out with more urgency, Mongameli Tshuma stepping up in midfield as the hosts finally started to play.
Mvelo Khoza nearly dragged them level early on, his free-kick forcing a good save from Wallace Magalane. There were also loud handball shouts after another set-piece struck the wall, but referee Brighton Chimene waved it away.
Just as Bosso looked like they were building something, CAPS struck again.
Another set piece, another lapse. Njaliwa finished it in the 61st minute to make it 2-0.
Highlanders were not done.
Darlington Mkuli pulled one back with a thunderous long-range strike in the 74th minute and Barbourfields came alive.
From there, it was waves of pressure.
Prince Ndlovu hit the post in the 80th minute. The crowd pushed, Bosso pushed, but CAPS held their shape and rode it out.
Highlanders coach Benjani Mwaruwari didn’t hide from it.
“We started badly. When you start bad like we did against an organised team you get punished. It was only in the last 20 minutes when we started to cause problems for them but it was too late. It’s a lesson to my boys.”
CAPS coach Takesure Chiragwi kept it simple.
“History is there but we can’t rely on what happened in the past. We play to win matches. Our focus is on collecting maximum points.”
For CAPS, this is more than just ending a hoodoo. It’s a result that keeps them right where they want to be, in the title conversation.
For Highlanders, it will hurt. Not because they didn’t fight, but because they gave themselves too much to fix after that first half.
