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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
Bulawayo City 2-1 Highlanders
BULAWAYO City FC humbled Highlanders in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League derby played at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.

City’s victory took them two places up the table into 11th position with 21 points, while Highlanders slipped into eighth place from seventh. Bosso now trail log leaders Ngezi Platinum Star by six points.

Highlanders have amassed 28 points from 17 games, while Ngezi, who beat Black Rhinos 4-2 in Harare, have 34 points from 18 games.

A tactically disciplined City struck first in the 21st minute through an easy tap-in by Munyaradzi Mungadze, who capitalised on sloppy defending from a set piece.

City won a free kick near the right corner flag after Bosso defender Tendai Ndlovu brought down striker Clive Rupiya. Right-back Zephaniah Ngodzo sent in a cross that Mkhululi Moyo headed back into play from the blind side, catching Highlanders’ defenders off guard and Mungadze had the simplest task of tapping the ball into the net.

Livewire winger Ishmael Wadi, who was making his debut for City after being loaned from FC Platinum, made it two in the 25th minute, following a quick counterattack.

Bosso pushed upfront in search of an equaliser, leaving young defender Bukhosi Ncube with Wadi.

City’s midfielder Innocent Kutsanzira intercepted the ball in midfield and quickly released Wadi, who rode Ncube’s tackle before beating Highlanders’ goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda from close range.

The second goal seemed to have injected some sense of urgency into the Bosso players as they sought to get back into the game.

King Nadolo picked up a loose ball in the centre, dribbled past two City players before passing to Godfrey Makaruse, who left defender Munyaradzi Mungadze for dead.

Makaruse sent in a perfect cross into the box that was punched onto the path of striker Ralph Matema by goalkeeper Liberty Chirava.

Matema found an unmarked Rahman Kutsanzira in the box.

Kutsanzira unleashed a spectacular volley off Matema’s cross into the roof of the net and back into Chirava’s hands in the 29th minute.

Referee Mhaka Magare rightfully awarded the goal, resulting in City players mobbing him, as they felt first assistant referee Abraham Manda should have made the call instead of the whistleman.

Bosso’s technical team of coach Ariel Akbay, assistant Amini Soma-Phiri, who returned from suspension, and newly appointed goalkeepers’ coach Peter “Oxo” Nkomo made a shock double substitution in the 34th minute, pulling out Nadolo and Makaruse, who were troubling City defenders, for Gabriel Nyoni and Simon Munawa. The move failed to yield any result, as City continued their dominance.

Nadolo and Makaruse were arguably the best players for Bosso, but Akbay, who only arrived from his native Netherlands two days before the game, felt they were ineffective.

Even Melusi Sibanda, who had been in charge of the squad when Akbay was on his two-week holiday and Soma-Phiri on suspension, was not involved on match day.

“We lost the game in the first half where we made too many mistakes. We tried to Change into a 4-3-3 formation, but that didn’t work as the substitution we made didn’t make a difference. I had to take out Nadolo and Makaruse because they were walking too much with the ball. I wanted Nadolo to quickly release the ball and Makaruse was not dribbling enough and wasn’t sending in crosses,” said Akbay.

Regarding preparations for the match, Akbay said: “I left the programme and everyone knew what they were supposed to do. Unfortunately we were slow in everything today.”

City coach Mandla Mpofu said his side took control of the game from the first whistle, initiating attacks from their wingbacks Ngodzo and Munyaradzi Mungadze, as they sought to congest their numbers whenever they went forward.

He said their game plan worked and was happy with the result.

“I like the fighting spirit we showed and we were tactically disciplined from the start of the game. We won most duels and it is this kind of work ethic that can carry us through. I was also happy with how Wadi expressed himself in his first game. I know he is a good player who is going to give us something in the second half of the season,” said Mpofu.

Bulawayo City: Liberty Chirava, Zephaniah Ngodzo, Munyaradzi Mungadze, Zibusisio Sibanda, Nyasha Mukumbi, Ransome Pavari, Innocent Kutsanzira, Sipho Ndlovu (Eddie Nkulungo, 65th minute), Clive Rupiya (Trevor Ndlovu, 62nd minute), Mkhululi Moyo, Ishamel Wadi (Dingani Maphosa, 75th minute)

Highlanders: Ariel Sibanda, Bukhosi Ncube, Charlton Siamalonga, Tendai Ndlovu, Peter Muduhwa, Erick Mudzingwa, Godfrey Makaruse (Gabriel Nyoni, 34th minute), King Nadolo (Simon Munawa, 34th minute), Nhlanhla Ndlovu (Tambwe Kalunga, 80th minute), Rahman Kutsanzira, Ralph Matema

Results

Chicken Inn 1-0 Bantu Rovers, How Mine 0-0 ZPC Kariba, Yadah FC 1-0 Harare City, FC Platinum 3-1 Dynamos, Caps United 0-0 Shabanie Mine, Hwange 4-0 Tsholotsho FC

Yesterday: Bulawayo City 2-1 Highlanders, Black Rhinos 2-4 Ngezi Platinum, Triangle United 2-0 Chapungu

PSL TABLE
     P    W    D    L    F    A    GD    Pts
Ngezi Platinum    18    10    4    4    29    17    12    34
FC Platinum    17    8    8    1    17    8    9    32
Chicken Inn     17     10    2    5     16     7    9    32
How Mine    18    9    5    4    14    11    3    32
Black Rhinos    17    9    4     4    23    11    12    31
*Dynamos    16    9    3    4    23    15    8    30
ZPC Kariba    18    8    4    6    19    16    3    28
Highlanders    17    8    4    5    18    15    3    28
Triangle United    18    6    7    5    17    17    0     25
Shabanie Mine    18    5    7    6    13    14    -1    22
Bulawayo City    17    6    3    8    18    21     -3     21
*Chapungu    17    5     6    6    10    13     -3    21
Yadah FC    18    5     4    9    15    22    -7    19
Harare City    18    4    6    8     10     12    -2    18
Hwange    17     4     5    8     14    20     -6    17
Caps United    11    3     5     3     14     10     4     14
Bantu Rovers    18     2     3    13    18    38    -20    9
Tsholotsho FC    18     0     6     12    8     29     -21    6
*match abandoned

-@ZililoR