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Lovemore Dube Sports Editor
Highlanders  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Caps United . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0HIGHLANDERS’ winless streak continued with a dull draw against visiting Caps United in a Castle Lager Premiership match played at Barbourfields Stadium.

Controversial Fifa panel assistant referee Brighton Nyika stole the show for the wrong reasons.  He had his flag up for offside in the 23rd minute which was a good call and a Caps United striker tumbled under the challenge of towering Highlanders centreback Eric Mudzingwa.
Impressive Philani Ncube had not seen Nyika’s flag up and he pointed to the spot.

Alert Highlanders players protested against the penalty decision as Nyika to the surprise of the 9 000 fans put his flag down and rushed to take his position for the spotkick to be taken.

The right decision would have been for him to remain rooted to his spot with his flag up. This would have forced Ncube to consult him.
With Highlanders players protesting Caps United fans started throwing missiles onto the pitch. The fourth referee Bekezela Makeka had to ask Ncube to consult Nyika resulting in the decision being changed to offside. Highlanders quickly started play with Caps United players all around Ncube and Milton Ncube was  brought down by Arnold Chiveya in an incident that could have earned the visitors’ defender a card.  The referee was obstracted by Caps United players and first assistant Abraham   Manda missed the incident.

The draw was a welcome relief to Bosso who had lost three consecutive matches. Going into yesterday’s match, expectations from their hard to please supporters were that the team would win to reclaim top spot on the log.

Caps      United were by far the better side in the first half with some methodical build ups from the back. They appeared to take advantage of Highlanders’ ball players in midfield Bheki Ncube, Milton Ncube, Masimba Mambare and Heritein Masuku who left Hillary Madzivanyika overwhelmed by marauding Caps United midfielders who were swift on the counter.

Stocky Dominic Chungwa, one of the players Bosso let slip in the off-season, could have opened the scoring in the fourth minute after coming to the end of a pass from the left by Leonard Fiyado. Chungwa shot over the bar.

Bosso came close in the seventh minute through Graham Ncube who headed a Milton cross from the left over the bar.
Munyaradzi Diya justified his top rating and national team call up with a brilliant clean catch off Chungwa’s close range shot in the 10th minute.

Five minutes later Chungwa set up Dominic Mukandi who rifled from five metres and drew the best out of Diya who went down with another top of the shelf save.

Then came Nyika’s show in the 23rd minute. With the referee’s decision for offside, Caps United seemed to have put their feet of the pedal as they had earlier on dominated the show convincingly.

Bheki came close on 33 minutes after being fed by Milton but the burly midfielder’s effort went over the bar.
Caps United lost defender Chivheya in the 40th minute after he needlessly hacked down Milton Ncube with a tackle from behind.  The visiting team’s players showed indiscipline by protesting the marching order and Philani was too lenient with them.

The Caps United defender had already been yellow carded for unsporting behaviour after he stood within a metre from a Highlanders defender who had the ball for a throw-in.

Highlanders players’ mediocrity was then exposed in the next   52 minutes. They failed to take advantage of the fact that their opponents were left with 10 men.

Instead of knocking the ball around to find gaps in the opposition’s rearguard, Bosso players tended to be negative holding on to the ball unnecessarily too long instead of playing it to better positioned players.

The players appeared jittery with too many stray passes and lack of desire to venture forward especially rightback Simon Munawa who for the better part of the game stayed unmarked.

In the 66th minute Highlanders who had a better second half, had Beavan Chikaka reacting slowly to Njabulo Ncube’s pass allowing Tafadzwa Dube to come off his line and avert possible damage.

Tendai Samanja saw his side-footed effort go wide with the Bosso goalkeeper off his line in the 67th minute.
Masuku’s long range effort was saved by Dube with a clean catch in the 77th minute.

Mudzingwa playing as a centreback in a partnership with Innocent Mapuranga for the first time in many months, nearly put Highlanders in the lead in the 79th minute. He had his shot cleared off the line by a Caps United defender with Dube nowhere in sight.

“It was a good game for us, I’m happy with a point away from home.
“We have to do better than the first half and continue collecting positive results away from home,” said Taurai Mangwiro, the Caps United coach.
On the penalty decision, Mangwiro said; “It was an unfortunate call, I told the guys to control their tempers and keep focused, to which they responded positively.”

Kevin Kaindu the Highlanders gaffer said his boys tried their best. He said it was going to be difficult coming from three losses for them to pick up rhythm.

“We tried especially coming from two losses and it’s difficult to come from a losing streak,” said Kaindu.
He said his team’s challenge is going back to the top.

“What’s important is to get back to the top of the log,” said Kaindu.

Teams
Highlanders
M  Diya, S Munawa (M Maphosa 71st minute), B Kangwa, E Mudzingwa, I  Mapuranga, H Madzivanyika, H Masuku, M Mambare (N Ncube 54th  minute), B Ncube, G Ncube (B Chikaka 50th minute), Milton Ncube

Caps United
T Dube, T Khumbuyani, T  Munyanduri, M Muchenje (S Makatuka 42nd minute), T Samanja, H Zvirekwi, A Chivheya, R Kutsanzira (G Phiri 81st minute), D Mukandi, D Chungwa, L Fiyado (D Rediyoni 83rd minute)