admin
Tshilamoya, under Zambian coach Kelvin Kaindu, invaded the capital city wanting nothing less than a win and they were rightly rewarded thanks to a Masimba Mambare brace, his first coming after 57 minutes and the second 20 minutes before fulltime. Bosso’s cause was further helped by second placed Shabanie Mine’s shock 1-0 defeat to Harare City with the icing on the cake coming courtesy of Blue Rangers’ stunning performance that saw them holding champions Dynamos to a 1-1 draw.
Highlanders have now gone for a good 1 530 minutes without defeat. They face Gunners at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.
Despite all pointers to the championship, coach Kaindu still feels it is too early to conclude that his boys are championship favourites.
“It’s very pleasing that we bagged the three points and the fact that we beat such a good side back-to-back makes it extra sweet for us. It is however too early to conclude that we are championship favourites so we are just focusing on every game as it comes,” he said after the match on Saturday.
Many supporters are however convinced that the league title is now a reality given the poor performance by other title contenders. Highlanders were the only team to score more than a single goal at the weekend and have now forced opposition goalkeepers to pick the ball 36 times beyond the nets while conceding 10 times.
Harare giants Dynamos whose house is on fire each time they fail to win a match, drew their fourth match of the season against a team they pummelled 6-0 in the reverse fixture.
Complacency on their part could be the reason why they drew, especially after taking a 14th minute lead through veteran Murape Murape.
When the goal came, many in the stadium probably saw another mauling forgetting that Rangers were now under a new coach Partson Ndabambi who during the course of the week had warned DeMbare that it was never going to be an easy outing.
“Overall, I am impressed. We were playing against the champions and getting a draw against Dynamos is a good result. If we can get this result against Dynamos what about the other mediocre teams? We had been written off, but we have proved our doubters wrong,” said the nomadic Ndabambi after the match.
Dynamos though, have two games in hand and are still favourites for the title come end of the season.
Giant killers Harare City continued with their act when they claimed the scalp of second-placed Shabanie Mine through a Cybert Muvuti strike in the 45th minute while Motor Action finally remembered how to win after going through a terrible run without a win.
They faced a fired up Chicken Inn but managed to beat them 1-0. The Adam Ndlovu-coached boys are now fifth on the log standings with 29 points, ten behind pacesetters Highlanders and are still in with a chance of landing the big one.
Log anchors Quelaton lost again — 1-0 at home to fellow strugglers, Black Mambas. With all their veterans whom they roped in during the second transfer window, Kwela Kwela, 7-1 losers to Highlanders last week, found the going tough and a 36th minute goal by Innocent Nyoni was enough to condemn them to their 13th defeat of the season. They are firmly rooted at the bottom of the log with a mere five points.
Week 17 round up and statistics
Caps United 0
Highlanders 2 (Masimba Mambare 57′ and 70′)
Gunners 1 (Valentine Ndaba 45′)
Hwange 1 (Francisco Zikumbawire 17′)
Harare City 1 (Cybert Muvuti 45′)
Shabanie 0
Platinum 1 (Khumbulani Banda 29′)
Buffaloes 0
Motor Action 1 (Merciful Ncube 29′)
Chicken Inn 0
Quelaton 0
Black Mambas 1 (Innocent Nyoni 36′)
Blue Rangers 1 (Tigere Muparagada 40′)
Dynamos 1 (Murape Murape14′)
Hardbody 0
Monomutapa 0
Online Reporter