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YOU can feel that the world is collapsing around Moses Chunga as CAPS United stumble from one painful defeat to another and, yesterday, they crashed out of the BancABC Sup8r Cup at the very first hurdle at Baghdad.
A week after the horror of the Harare Derby defeat against a 10-man Dynamos, CAPS United against crashed to defeat at the hands of a 10-man Highlanders in a loss that was too much for some of their fans to bear.
One of the supporters, identified only as Silas, decided to take matters into his hands and was involved in an altercation with Chunga after the match.
While CAPS United fans might have accepted their 0-1 defeat to Dynamos as a stroke of bad luck, with their rivals scoring a late goal that gave them no chance to recover, yesterday the Green Machine’s shortcomings were cruelly exposed.
CAPS United have now lost all three games against members of the BIG Three, losing twice to Highlanders and once to Dynamos, and without scoring a goal in those 270 minutes of action.
The Green Machine haven’t scored a goal, in three straight games against Monomotapa (0-0), Dynamos (0-1) and Highlanders (0-1) and Evans Gwekwerere, who rallied his troops to win against Bosso in midweek, watched a Division One game in the capital yesterday.
By beating CAPS United, Bosso exorcised the ghost that had seen them go on a nine-year winless run in Kwekwe, and delighted their fans in a sellout 6000 capacity crowd.
Goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda once again turned villain against Bosso when he spilled a Gilbert Banda free kick to give coach Mkhupali Masuku and his side a passage into the semi finals.
Banda’s effort was his second against CAPS United after he scored the winner in the league match at Barbourfields in which Sibanda was once again villain after being sent off.
“It is always good to score a goal that makes a difference to the match and this one will be cherished for a long time,” said Banda.
It will be the third time for Bosso to reach the semi-finals in this tournament but they remain the only big team yet to win the coveted trophy.
Masuku had every reason to celebrate after rallying his troops, with a man down for close to an hour, after the sending off of defender Lawson Nkomo for a second yellow card.
Nkomo saw yellow twice inside nine minutes for late challenges on his marker Douglas Walaza in the 23rd and 32 minutes.
This was the second setback in this game played under a carnival atmosphere after Bosso lost key striker Vincent Nzombe through injury when he was involved in a clash of heads with Luckmore Simango in an aerial tussle after only 13 minutes of play.
Nzombe, playing against his former paymasters, had to be ferried to the hospital where he was last night reported to be in a stable condition.
And, playing with a man down, seemed to put Bosso on the backfoot.
“We are keen on breaking more of these jinxes. First it was the six-year cup jinx and now the nine-year-old Baghdad Stadium jinx.
“I pay tribute to my players for remaining resolute despite the two setbacks.
“For us we will now take each game as it comes and our hope is to go all the way to the finals,” said Masuku.
Chunga said “no comment” while assistant coach Brenna Msiska conceded they did not play well.
“We did not play well and it’s back to the drawing board for us,” said Msiska.
This was the second time, inside seven days, that Makepekepe lost to a team with 10 men after last weekend’s 0-1 to Dynamos at National Sports Stadium.
The match got off to a fast pace with both teams battling to unsettle each other.
In the opening minute Nzombe failed to drill through the ball to an unattended Xolani Ncube who was lurking in the box forcing a clearance from Simango.
Two minutes later CAPS United won a free-kick but, as with other efforts later on in the game, goalkeeper Sibanda was not good enough to beat the wall, letalone Bosso goalkeeper Lovemore Makwavarara.
Another chance came in the sixth minutes for CAPS United but Walaza’s effort was cleared by an alert Banda just seconds before Simango cleared a Nzombe effort from the goal-line.
Gilbert Mapemba then curled a dangerous cross into the box but Banda was good enough to clear the ball to safety.
A minute later Arnold Tshuma shot weakly straight at Sibanda.
In another raid Nzombe and Simango battled to win possession but the Highlanders forward came out second best forcing a five-minute stoppage as the medical team called an ambulance toferry him to hospital.
Masuku was forced to bring in Njabulo Ncube.
Both teams continued to waste chances for the better part of the game.
Deep into added time in the first half, Bosso won a free-kick after Mapemba had handled a Rahman Kutsanzira pass to Xolani Ncube.
Up stepped Banda whose effort was fumbled by Sibanda and the ball trickled through his legs and past the goalline.
In an attempt to fight back, CAPS United pulled out Arnold Chivheya bringing in Charles Chiutsa but they could not find their goal.
CAPS United tried so much to fight back but Bosso would not yield to the pressure and they gallantly held on for a deserved win.
Midfielder Erick Mudzingwa was voted man-of-the-match, pocketing a miniature shield and US$200.
Teams
CAPS United
Edmore Sibanda, Edmore Chafungamoyo, ArnoldChivheya (Charles Chiutsa 46th minute), Clive Kawinga (Joel Luphahla 70th minute), Gilbert Mapemba, Nyasha Mukumbi, Washington Pakamisa, Malvern Samaneka (Godknows Mangami 60th minute), Luckmore Simango, Pride Tafirenyika, Douglas Walaza.
Highlanders
Lovemore Makwavarara, Gilbert Banda, Rahman Kutsanzira, Gift Lunga, Innocent Mapuranga, Erick Mudzingwa, Simon Munawa, XolaniNcube, Lawson Nkomo, Vincent Nzombe (Njabulo Ncube 13th minute) and Arnold Tshuma (Bhekithemba Ndlovu 46th minute)
Referee- Jacob Kuuya