WATCH: Bosso march on

Fungai Muderere at Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane

Herentals 0 -1 Highlanders FC

BULAWAYO football giants, Highlanders, deservedly sang in unison when they posted a hard won away 0-1 victory against Herentals in a pulsating match that was played at Mandava Stadium yesterday.

So packed and colourful was Mandava Stadium, a venue that Bosso’s Melikhaya Ncube chose to steal the show to give Bosso an all important victory courtesy of a bicycle kick he orchestrated following a goal mouth melee when the match was 28 minutes old following a corner kick.

It was Ncube’s third goal in Bosso colours, a club he joined early this year after parting ways with former Castle Lager Premiership side Bulawayo City.

So pulsating was the match that the Bosso faithful celebrated the result as if they had won the championship.

Bosso, who are yet to taste defeat after 15 rounds of play, sit at the top of the log standings with 31 points, four ahead of second-placed Ngezi Platinum Stars.

Highlanders head coach Balmater Brito, who has seen his charges score 13 goals and conceding four times, said the Bosso family has every right to celebrate his players’ tireless efforts that have seen them dominate the country’s elite football league.

“The boys deserved this win. This is all because of their good performance and good football spirit. It all shows that we can do something. It was a good fight and I think it has been long that the Highlanders family has witnessed such a good season performance,” said an over the moon Brito amid scenes of jubilation by Bosso players deep in the cauldron of Mandava Stadium. Herentals coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziwa however, felt hard done by referee Owen Manenda who he said denied them a genuine penalty in the dying stages of the match.

In response Brito thundered: “We are not referees, the referee is the one qualified to direct us. It’s a well-deserved victory for us.”

The Herentals family, which however, gave a good show by keeping the Bosso rearguard busy the entire afternoon, felt robbed of a spot kick in another goal mouth melee that saw Highlanders goalkeeper Ariel “Mangoye”, Sibanda, Peter Muduhwa and Andrew “Tower” Mbeba summoning all their defensive skills right at the death of the match with the Students screaming for a penalty which Manenda turned down with the help of his first assistant Salani Ncube.

A fuming Mutiwekuziwa said: ” “It was a very difficult game but I think the referee gave them a lot of advantage. I think we deserved better. They were resolute in defence but we were denied a penalty. We conceded a soft ball but they got the assistance from the referee.”

It was a match that attracted the who is who of Zimbabwean football and it was a day that Amahlolanyama at the end employed defensive tactics by introducing Andrew Tandi for striker Lynoth Chikuhwa all in an effort to thwart their opponents’ raids that were being led by veteran second-half substitute Godfrey “Marabha” Mukambi who was introduced for William Kapumha in the 65th minute.

Teams

Herentals

N Antonio, B Majarira, S Murove, G Chinobva (Chimedaza 63rd minute), B Majarira, D Marowa, I Benza, P Chita, W Kapumha (Mukambi 65th minute) B Phiri, P Chama (Maliselo 78th minute)

Highlanders

A Sibanda, L Chikuhwa (Tandi 81st minute) R Lunga (Navaya 63rd minute) M Mushore (S Ngala 63rd minute), B Manhire, A Mbeba, E Farasi (Mushore 65th minute) P Muduhwa, A Farasi, M Ndlovu, M Ncube