Zimpapers Logo

VETERAN striker Godfrey Nguwodzawo scored a beautiful goal as Harare City held log leaders Highlanders in a violence-marred Castle Lager Premier Soccer league match played at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.

 

Highlanders had taken the lead in the sixth minute courtesy of a penalty kick converted by Mthulisi Maphosa but Harare City never threw in the towel and equalised through a header by Nguwodzawo in the 73rd minute.

However, what had been a good game turned ugly in the final minute of injury time and police had to move in to quell the disturbances as Highlanders fans, who could not contain their anger over a decision by first assistant referee Salani Ncube to disallow what they perceived to have been the winning goal by Beavan Chikaka threw missiles onto the field.

Chikaka who came on in the 60th minute for Simon Munawa, beat his marker in an aerial tussle and headed past Harare City goalkeeper Nomore John but Ncube signalled for offside.

What followed next were missiles from the Soweto stand.

The match resumed after 10 minutes as police fought running battles with the supporters leading to Highlanders’ executive led by their chairman Peter Dube to intervene.

After clearing the pitch, the match resumed and referee Philani Ncube blew the final whistle immediately.

Bosso are likely to be called before the Premier Soccer League’s disciplinary committee that has so far dealt with a case of hooliganism in a match involving Caps United and Chicken Inn.

Harare City gaffer Bigboy Mawiwi who has seen his team managing to collect points against all league former champions who they have met was elated with the result.

“I am proud of my boys’ performance. As I said before the game that we were coming here to attack and that is exactly what we did. Even when we were a goal down we never threw in the towel as we concentrated on our game and I must say Highlanders are a good team and a draw was the fair result. With a bit of luck, we could have won the game,” said Mawiwi.

The visitors had made their intentions of picking points known in the first minute when Highlanders defender Eric Mudzingwa’s move to shield Nguwodzawo backfired as the Harare City striker got the ball, passed it to Crybert Muvuti who took time to shoot at goal with only goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda to beat.

Harare City could have handed Bosso their first defeat of the season but a missed penalty by Trymore Nyamadzawo in the third minute ensured that the home team salvaged a point. Bosso defender Atlast Musasa had brought down Nguwodzawo in the box and Philani duly pointed to the spot.

Up stepped Nyamadzawo whose effort saw Sibanda diving to his left and keeping Bosso in the game. That miss awakened the home team as they started moving forward and four minutes later they got a penalty after Harare City’s leftback Titus Petros pulled down Graham Ncube. Maphosa sent John the wrong way.

After that goal Highlanders pressed forward in search of a second goal but Maphosa wasted a glorious scoring opportunity when he shot over the bar in the 12th minute after being set up by Peter “Rio” Moyo.

Three minutes later Nguwodzawo let a screamer just after the centre line which Sibanda found too hot to handle and spilled the ball. Lucky for him, there were no Harare City players to bury the rebound.

Just after the half hour mark, Maphosa chose a wrong option in the box as he tried to lob the ball over Petros instead of passing to a better placed Graham and the Harare City defender was spot on as he cleared the ball out of danger.

The second half saw Harare City returning with the same momentum with Sibanda denying Muvuti and Nguwodzawo from close range in the 58th minute. Nyamadzawo had sent in a curler which rounded Bosso’s defence but the two Harare City strikers — Muvuti and Nguwodzawo — failed to beat the former national Under-23 goalkeeper.

There was nothing that Sibanda could have done to stop Nguwodzawo’s 73rd header off a Quinton Masika fine delivery.
Highlanders’ coach Kelvin Kaindu was not amused with his players’ performance.

“The thing is every team we play wants to stop our unbeaten run. It was a difficult game for us but a positive thing for us is that we managed to score. We had gone for five games without conceding. We have been building our defence and they have been good going for five games without conceding.

“I thought we had scored a genuine goal but that was not what the referee saw and I don’t want to comment about that. We have to go and work very hard ahead of our next game,” Kaindu said.
Teams
Highlanders: A Sibanda, I Mapuranga, E Mudzingwa, B Kangwa, A Musasa, M Maphosa (B Tshuma, 67th minute), P Moyo, S Munawa (B Chikaka, 60th minute), K Mutizwa (O Zibande, 71st minute), M Ncube, G Ncube
Harare City: N John, T Nyamadzawo, R Uchena, C Muvuti (W Kalongoda, 74th minute), K Chidzero, T Petros, G Nguwodzawo, E Tapera, W Nyamuska, N Ziwini (Q Masika, 57th minute), S Songani (R Dongo, 90th minute).