The day Bosso were floored

possession in midfield, reducing Bosso to a disjointed outfit crying to be put out of their misery at a Rufaro last Saturday.
Even the usually calm Bosso gaffer, Kevin “KK” Kaindu, could not escape noticing that his charges were up against too many forces as the DeMbare fans backed Monoz throughout the match.
They were not the only ones as Liz Rosen, the Motor Action director, also sang in their corner all afternoon.
“We can not talk of a setback (3-0 drubbing) because we are not fighting for a title in the first place,” said Kaindu.
“I have always said we are building a team for next season, and that has not changed, as for today’s game our tactics failed us but we will try to bounce back.
“We are also competing against so many teams in a single match and you can see the way they are celebrating.”
But that is to miss the point.
For Monoz were on the ball all day.
At times it did not look pretty, especially after taking the lead, yet on others it was unbelievably swashbuckling with only big name players like Russell Madamombe and skipper Kuda Musharu looking off colour.
That however, did not sully the sauce as Monoz condemned Highlanders to their first league defeat this season.
And that came in style.
In other terms it was like Bosso losing their virginity to a handsome guy, happily married, but just coming out of a hospital ward as Monoz had lost to Quelaton in mid-week.
Credit to Bosso though — they lost with dignity and their coach admitted as much that on tactics, Monoz were better.
There was no denying Mukuradare his place in the sun.
It did not matter much that it was Monoz’s first league hat-trick this season.
The Kadoma-born striker took away the match ball for the first time in his career as Monoz cemented their third position on the log with 43 points, nine less than their victims, who remained second to Dynamos.
Monoz’s victory was well deserved as they controlled the midfield so well with Tendai Ngulube, underrated for most of the last two seasons he has played for the 2008 champions, anchoring with relish.
He reduced Mthulisi Maphosa, former captain at the club, to a laboured tractor in the centre of the park.
Ngulube’s ability to cut out Maphosa ensured Nelson Nelson always popped up each side of the wing in support of Chitiyo and Madamombe as Monoz stretched Bosso, who suffered from lack of width, as their wingbacks were reduced to defensive roles only.
In contrast, Biggie Zuze’s side had the luxury of attacking from both wings with Obey Mwerihari on the right and Hilary Mugoniwa on the left creating safe liberated zones to patrol into enemy territory frequently.
Mugoniwa was instrumental in the opener — a beautifully headed goal off his wonderfully-flighted cross into the crowded box where Mukuradare ghosted between Erick Mudzingwa and Innocent Mapuranga to beat Ariel Sibanda.
The trademark goal shook Bosso briefly out of their slumber.
With Simon Munawa tireless in midfield, Bosso started controlling the crucial department with Bekhi Ncube and Peter “Rio” Moyo finding some space between Ngulube and his centrebacks.
Even the Bosso faithful seated in the Vietnam stand briefly found their voice with their trademark herd-boy whistle — a clue to the team to pounce.
It looked like Bosso would soon get the goal their efforts merited, but they found Artwell Mukandi a Berlin Wall.
With the visitors failing to score with their clear-cut chances, first with Bekhi Ncube and then Milton Ncube in quick succession, Monoz regained their stranglehold and scored a blinder, just seconds shy of the breather.
Mukuradare was calmness personified as he subtracted the defence after Chitiyo had ensured Maphosa, Mudzingwa and Bruce Kangwa were sent on forced leave, leaving only skipper Mapuranga as the last shield in a broken park.
Goalkeeper Sibanda, to his credit, stopped the first shot, but that only helped incense Mukuradare, whose composure to regain possession under challenge ensured he scored an A-List goal — his second for the day.
It was a goal well celebrated — an insurance type of goal, delivered with just seconds to halftime. The signs were ominous. The virginity for Bosso about to go with Monoz and crucially, it sounded advantage Dynamos as their fans, which came in their numbers to watch, showed.
Monoz’s ability to drag the centre backs from their holes always gave them a chance to breach the defensive line — and they did that with regularity.
That Mapuranga had to always leave his zone to smoother danger ensured the distance between Munawa, their most effective midfielder on the day, and the attacking duo of Bekhi Ncube and Moyo, remained big enough to be explored.
That allowed Ngulube ample time to cut out any dangerous balls before they intruded into their dangerous third.
With danger averted and control ensured, it was time for Chitiyo and company to spray passes around to tire the opponents with their defensive pair of Morgen Mungombe and Jimmy Tigere, so comfortable they barely broke a sweat.
But there was still time for Mukuradare to cap a fine afternoon with another wonderfully executed goal, just 12 minutes before close.
This time, captain Musharu was the provider. Ngulube robbed Bosso of possession in his box and quickly released Musharu who had drifted in to defend a Bosso attack.
With both centre backs having ventured upfront in search of a goal, only Kangwa and Maphosa remained in the defensive third, Musharu ran with the ball cutting inside as Bosso regrouped.
Mukuradare drifted to the right where Kangwa was stationed and Musharu threaded the ball into the open space forcing keeper Sibanda to leave his line to narrow the angle.
The pass was so good that Mukuradare’s first touch took him past Sibanda as the entire defence was eliminated.
The second touch was a low shot into the net.
That goal sealed the match and fate for Bosso that even Kaindu went back to his seat while assistant Amin Soma rose to make his third substitution.
Dead and buried, Bosso could applaud the great master stroke of Zuze when he fittingly substituted the undertaker for the day, so that he could get the applause of the fans that included PSL chairman Twine Phiri.
Team work won the day for Monoz but when the story is told Chitiyo, Mukuradare and Nelson will always offer the plots.