Zimpapers Logo

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
Highlanders 1-1 Chicken Inn

HIGHLANDERS were lucky to snatch a point against a composed Chicken Inn in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League derby at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.

The result left second-placed Chicken Inn two points behind leaders Dynamos, who beat Whawha 2-1 on Saturday to take their points’ tally to 29.

Chicken Inn, who are gunning for the championship, were more organised than their counterparts in a game that had all the facets of a derby, played with tension, teams being cautious and at times emotions got that got the better of players as clumsy challenges were let go by the referee.

Both coaches, Highlanders’ Mandla Mpofu and Chicken Inn’s Joey Antipas, felt the draw was a fair result.

“It’s two points dropped, but one gained. We could have done better defending that goal. These are big games which need big officials because the referee gave soft fouls leading to their goal,” said Mpofu.

Antipas said: “This was a highly contested game.

The game itself wasn’t a spectacle for the fans, as both teams went at each other. A draw was a fair result.

I thought the referee could have controlled the game better by flashing cards to culprits that were hitting each other.”

Kick-off of the derby was delayed by seven minutes, as there was no ambulance.

It was Chicken Inn who had a better start and in the 10th minute, Brian Muza broke on the right, and chose to be selfish, making an attempt at goal instead of playing the ball to Marlvin Hwata, who was unmarked on the left.

It was a wasted attempt that the Gamecocks should have used to punish Bosso as the match was tense with chances hard to come by.

Highlanders’ first attempt was a half chance created by Godfrey Makaruse in the 20th minute when he took a snap shot that was punched for a corner by Chicken Inn goalkeeper Donovan Bernard.

A minute later, Makaruse ghosted from the blind side to connect a Lynoth Chikuhwa cross from the right and give Bosso the lead.

Makaruse was making his first start of the 2021/22 season, coming in for Rahman Kutsanzira, who reportedly failed a Covid-19 test on Friday.

The Bosso goal scorer fitted well into the game and never showed signs of rust due to lack of game time.

That goal seemed to have woken Bosso out of their slumber, as they began to dictate the pace.

In the 24th minute, Bernard produced a brilliant save to deny Stanley Ngala a goal. Chicken Inn quickly launched a counter attack, with goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda called to action blocking a Brett Amidu close-range shot with the ball falling to Muza, who had his effort blocked on the goal line by Andrew Tandi.

Highlanders were winning most duels in the midfield where they had the central midfield trio of Nqobizitha Masuku, Adrian Silla and Devine Mhindirira suffocating Chicken Inn’s midfield.

Because of pressure that Bosso were imposing, Chicken Inn’s box-to-box midfielder Richard Hachiro was restricted to the defensive zone to help anchorman Shepherd Mhlanga.

The Gamecocks were using a 3-5-2 formation, which rarely troubled Bosso, who were playing a 4-4-2 formation.

Chicken Inn should have gone to the breather with a goal as they finished the first stanza stronger, but Amidu made a mess of a perfect pass from Passmore Bernard, who had a quiet first-half in the 44th minute, failing to direct his shot on goal with acres of space inside the Bosso box.

On the stroke of half-time, Ngala fluffed a chance to double Highlanders’ lead when he reacted slowly to a sublime pass from Peter Muduhwa, giving Chicken Inn centre-back Itai Mabhunu time to clear the ball for corner.

Chicken Inn kicked off the second-half just like they did first-half, showing composure on the ball, playing it around as they tried to find an equaliser, but Highlanders remained resolute.

Amidu tried to catch Sibanda with a hard and low shot in the 53rd minute, but the alert Highlanders’ goalie thwarted the danger.

Highlanders were forced to make an injury substitution in the 58th minute after left-back Mbongeni Ndlovu came out of a tussle for the ball with an injury. He was replaced by striker Washington Navaya, with Makaruse pushed into the left-back.

Chicken Inn enjoyed superior ball possession, literally camping in the Highlanders’ half in the opening 20 minutes of the second-half, but still the goal eluded them, as Bosso soaked in the pressure.

Antipas then made a double substitution, introducing George Majika and Michael Charamba for Mhlanga and Passmore Bernard in the 71st minute.

Five minutes later, Brian Muza equalised with a beauty, poking the ball beyond the reach of a diving Sibanda.

The goal was always coming for Chicken Inn and they never took off the foot from the pedal as they continued their search for a winner with Muza and Brighton Ncube giving Bosso defender  Muduhwa and Tandi a good shift.

An unmarked Navaya let his teammates down in the 86th minute when he blasted over the bar with only Donovan to beat, having been fed by Mhindirira from the left.

A minute later, Ngala also blasted his effort into the terraces in Highlanders’ second attempt on goal after half-time.

Teams

Highlanders: Ariel Sibanda, Andrew Mbeba, Mbongeni Ndlovu (Washington Navaya, 58th minute), Andrew Tandi, Peter Muduhwa, Nqobizitha Masuku, Godfrey Makaruse (Darlington Mukuli, 72nd minute), Adrian Silla, Stanley Ngala, Devine Mhindirira, Lynoth Chikuhwa (Crispen Ncube, 72nd minute)

Chicken Inn: Donovan Bernard, Passmore Bernard (Michael Charamba, 71st minute), Xolani Ndlovu, Moses Jackson, Nielson Ketala, Itai Mabhunu, Shepherd Mhlanga (George Majika, 71st minute), Richard Hachiro, Brett Amidu, Marlvin Hwata (Brighton Ncube, 60th minute), Brian Muza

PSL Matchday 13 results
Friday: Yadah 1-1 Triangle United

Saturday: Herentals 1-0 FC Platinum, Black Rhinos 3-2 Tenax, Bulawayo City 0-1 Bulawayo Chiefs, Ngezi Platinum Stars 0-1 Harare City, Whawha 1-2 Dynamos

Yesterday: Highlanders 1-1 Chicken Inn, Manica Diamonds 1-0 ZPC Kariba, Caps United 0-2 Cranborne Bullets

— @ZililoR