BULAWAYO CITY… (2) 2 HIGHLANDERS…… (1) 1
BULAWAYO City put up a polished first-half show to despatch clueless Highlanders in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.
BY FORTUNE MBELE
Munyaradzi Mungadze was on target in the 21st minute with an easy tap-in as Highlanders defenders failed to clear a ball delivered into the penalty box by Mkhululi Moyo from a Zephania Ngodzo free-kick.
Four minutes later, new signing Ishmael Wadi, who had a good game giving the Highlanders defence a torrid time, scored the second goal after shrugging off a challenge from defender Bukhosi Ncube to push the ball past goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda.
Highlanders picked up form and Rahman Kutsanzira struck with a beautiful volley in the 29th minute from outside the box after he was set up by Ralph Matema off a Godfrey Makaruse cross, which was clumsily punched away by Bulawayo City shot stopper Liberty Chirava.
With Highlanders seemingly settling in the game, coach Erol Akbay, who only had two days with the team after returning from the Netherlands, took out King Nadolo and Makaruse, replacing them with Simon Munawa and Gabriel Nyoni in the 34th minute.
The game then degenerated into a dreary affair going into the second half with Bulawayo City disciplined in all departments. Bulawayo City enhanced their chances of surviving the chop with the victory rising two places up from position 14.
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Coach Mandla Mpofu was ecstatic saying the result had given them confidence ahead of their weekend game against Chicken Inn at Luveve on Sunday.
“Our aim going into the second half of the season is to pick up points and survive. The boys put up an unbelievable performance. I am happy we got the three points. It is a very important win for us and makes us better prepared for our next game,” Mpofu said.
Akbay blamed the defeat on sloppy defending and said his absence did not affect the team.
“We lost the game in the first half because of stupid mistakes by the defenders. We tried to change the whole system to press forward, but it did not work,” the Dutchman said in defence of the early changes that he made in the first half.
Akbay said Nadolo was holding on to the ball too much while Makaruse was failing to deliver the right crosses.
He sat on the bench with reinstated assistant coach Amini Soma-Phiri while Peter Nkomo, who has bounced back as goalkeepers’coach after Cosmas Zulu was demoted to the juniors, watched the proceedings from a distance.
“The boys went through a normal training programme that I gave to the assistant coach,” Akbay said. Highlanders remain in the seventh spot with 28 points.
Teams
Bulawayo City: L Chirava, Z Ngodzo, M Mungadze, N Mukumbi, Z Sibanda, S Ndlovu (E Nkulungo 65’), I Kutsanzira, I Wadi (D Maphosa 75’), M Moyo, C Rupiya (T Ndlovu 62’), R Pavari
Highlanders: A Sibanda, B Ncube, C Siamalonga, T Ndlovu, P Muduhwa, E Mudzingwa, G Makaruse (G Nyoni 34’), K Nadolo (S Munawa 34’), N Ndlovu (T Kalunga 80’), R Kutsanzira, R Matema
