Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira in Bulawayo
Highlanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Triangle United . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
MAFIOS CHIHWETA gave everything.
He ran, dribbled, probed, created, then did it all over again. For much of the match, he carried Highlanders on his back.
It was the sort of performance that should be remembered. One that deserved a goal, a win, something.
But it ended goalless.
The pint-sized winger won over the Barbourfields crowd with a tireless, inventive display that deserved far more than the scoreboard offered.
Even interim coach Try Ncube admitted it felt like a solo act.
“It’s another game where we failed to finish the chances that we got. We are disappointed. He (Chihweta) is doing well and he is very talented. The other players have to come to the party, because it becomes almost a one-man show. We have to try and help him as much as possible but luck is not on our side,” said Ncube. Triangle United coach Genesis Mangombe was content with the point.
“It was not a good result but a better result. We had chances to even kill this game. I thought there was a clear penalty call. If we had got that, we would have maybe got a goal and won the game. But we were playing against Highlanders and it was not going to be easy. I am happy we did not concede,” said Mangombe.
Highlanders dominated possession and created the better chances, but a mix of poor finishing and composure in crucial moments meant they had nothing to show for it. With Andrew Mbeba sidelined through injury, Bosso turned to a central defensive pairing of Arthur Ndlovu and Marlven Hativagoni. The duo handled Triangle’s limited threat with relative ease, but the real issues lay at the other end of the pitch.
They started brightly. In the ninth minute, Reason Sibanda clattered into Triangle goalkeeper Tatenda Chikosi just outside the box and was shown a yellow card by referee Mhaka Magare, a decision that drew loud boos from the home fans. The tension was building early.
Chihweta was Bosso’s brightest spark, frequently switching flanks and keeping Triangle’s defence under pressure. But as the half wore on, his relentless drive was repeatedly let down by his teammates’ poor decision making and finishing.
