Online Reporter
Onward Gangata, Zimpapers Sports Hub
HIGHLANDERS showed their fighting spirit yesterday, clawing back from a goal down to snatch a share of the spoils against a determined TelOne side, in a tense Castle Lager Premier Soccer League showdown at Ascot Stadium in Gweru.
Milton Chimedza pounced on a rare error from Bosso goalkeeper, Reward Muza, to fire TelOne ahead midway through the first half. But Highlanders refused to roll over, hitting back just seven minutes later with a thunderous volley from Reason Sibanda, to level the contest.
Bosso coach, Kelvin Kaindu hailed his side’s battling display on the road.
“This is our second away game, and we seem to be settling well another valuable point away,” said Kaindu. “The pleasing thing is we’re scoring goals. We dominated the second half and honestly should have had at least two more.”
Despite the positive showing, Kaindu was not entirely satisfied.
“The only downside is the way we conceded. It’s something we need to fix, we can’t keep gifting teams goals like that,” he added.
The game started in scrappy fashion, with several stoppages early on after TelOne defender, Frank Makarati, suffered a head injury. Sibanda thought he had given Highlanders the dream start when he found the net in the seventh minute, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
TelOne quickly grew into the game, with Chimedza and Tawanda Macheke both drawing sharp saves from Muza. Washington Navaya, TelOne’s top scorer, then squandered a golden chance, miscuing with the goal at his mercy.
The hosts eventually made their pressure count in the 27th minute. Muza failed to claim a routine cross, and Chimedza was quickest to react, stabbing the ball home from close range.
But TelOne’s joy was short-lived. Bosso regrouped swiftly, and after a slick move down the right flank, Sibanda smashed in a stunning volley to bring the visitors level.
From that point on, it was all Highlanders, who laid siege to TelOne’s goal in the second half but could not find the knock-out punch.
TelOne coach, Herbert Maruwa accepted the point with a mix of relief and regret.
“Playing Highlanders is never easy. Yes, we dropped two points at home, but keeping our unbeaten home record is crucial,” Maruwa said.
Londile Moyo