Students teach Bosso a lesson

By Fortune Mbele | Sep. 1, 2024 | 3 Min read

It was evident from the onset that Herentals' strategy of employing a physical game was working, as Bosso struggled to play their normal game and appeared disjointed. Coach Kelvin Kaindu had to make triple substitutions at halftime, having fallen one down before the break.

Highlanders. . . . . . . . . . (0) 1

Herentals. . . . . .. . . . . . .(1) 2

HERENTALS walked away with a famous victory at Barboufields Stadium following a memorable brace by Clemence Gobvu which was enough to stifle a lethargic Highlanders in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match.

Herentals coach Celestine Benza was overjoyed after the final whistle.

"Sweet victory, very very sweet. especially considering that this was our first victory against Highlanders both home and away since we were promoted to the Premiership. We are very happy and especially at their home ground.

“All we needed to do was to try and make sure that they do not play especially in our defending third because we knew they are very dangerous when passing into the attacking third. We let them play at the back and congested our defending third and it worked very well,” Benza said.

In the first minute, Arthur Ndlovu miscalculated a long ball and almost gifted Herentals the opener, but he recovered to clear the ball for a corner kick. The Students were fired up and forced two corners in the first minutes of the game.

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In the third minute, Ndlovu was adjudged to have fouled Tino Benza at the edge of the box, and Herentals were awarded a free kick at the edge of the penalty box. Tino's effort was disappointing, as it was blocked by the Bosso wall.

Bosso grew in confidence and came out of their cocoon. After 12 minutes, Honest Mhlanga turned in midfield and was fouled just after the centre line. Marvelous Chigumira's long-range effort struck the upright.

The encounter was physical and marred by too many stoppages, as referee Mhaka Magara appeared to be losing grip with both sets of players having a go at each other.

Herentals took the lead after 43 minutes courtesy of a Gobvu easy tap-in from a free kick. This was after Chigumira had fouled Erick Dembo on the near side in Bosso's half.

In added time, Gobvu should have made it two, but stunned all and sundry when he failed to pick his spot at the edge of the box after a Tino layoff.

In the second half, substitute Grey Kufandada beat the offside trap and laid a sitter for Dembo, but Reward Muza pulled out a fine stop to deny his effort. Bosso equalised after 53 minutes courtesy of Lynoth Chikuhwa's eighth goal of the season.

Herentals regained the lead after a brief stoppage in the match with Bosso fans protesting an offside call. When play resumed, Herentals won a corner in the 62nd minute. A free header by Gobvu from Dembo's cross from a corner kick which was hugely contested with Bosso players arguing that it had gone out for a throw in rather than a corner kick, beat Muza to trickle into the net.

From then on, Herentals held on to walk away with maximum points.

Kaindu accepted defeat and bemoaned the mistakes by his defence. "Very frustrating. You could tell from kick off that today it was going to be a very difficult game for us. From the first whistle we looked so jittery in defence. We could have conceded a penalty from one long ball. From there again we made our own mistake, we struggled with the defence that played in the last game. Even the goals that they scored we gifted them, they did not work for those goals," Kaindu said.

Highlanders FC

R Muza, T Dube (G Makaruse 46), B Mlotshwa (P Muduhwa 46), Mason M, McKinnon M, N Ndlovu, H Mhlanga, A Ndlovu, N Rauzhi (L Chik M Chigumira

Herentals

H Chikosa, A Maliselo (M Chimedza 82), B Phiri, E Dombo (M Mekiwa 69), T Benza (B Majarira 90), J Tafadzwa, B Majarira (G Kufandada 46) C Nyatondo, Z Ruguchu, I Benza (W Kapumha 46), C Gobvu

Castle Lager Premiership Matchday 25 results

Fulltime:

Highlanders 1-2 Herentals

Dynamos 1-0 Chegutu Pirates

Hwange 1-0 Chicken Inn