Sports / Local
Cry Mantengwane
04 Nov 2010 at 04:42hrs | Views
Highlanders…....(2) 3 Hwange….... (0) 1 BULAWAYO giants Highlanders bounced back to winning ways in style when they thrashed Hwange at Barbourfields yesterday to keep alive their Premiership revival under youthful coach Mkhuphali Masuku.
Highlanders, who now have 37 points, leapt four places up the ladder into third place on the Premiership standings behind leaders Motor Action with 52 and bitter rivals Dynamos who have 46 points.
Highlanders got their goals from a well-taken spot kick by Menard Mupera in the 20th, a 30th minute stunner from Zephaniah Ngodzo and a Protasho Kabwe beauty in the 47th minute.
Hwange got their consolation goal in the 69th minute through left back David Boriwondo who had earlier on turned villain when conceding a penalty which gave Highlanders the lead.
The teams started on a casual approach knocking the ball around looking for openings before Eric Mudzingwa had the game's real first crack at goal in the 17th minute which Timothy Sibanda saved.
Three minutes later, Mupera converted a spot kick after Boriwondo tripped Francis Kanda inside the box. Referee Makonese Masakadza did not hesitate to point to the spot despite protests from the Hwange players and their technical team. Play was stopped for about six minutes.
Mupera sent goalkeeper Sibanda the wrong way.
In the 30th minute Highlanders won a free-kick outside the Hwange box after Milos Phiri had hacked down Kabwe.
Lawson Nkomo took the kick and sent it to an unmarked Zephaniah whose blistering shot surprised even the goalkeeper Sibanda who thought it would go wide only for it to nestle at the back of the net.
Two minutes into the second half Kabwe added the third for the 2006 league champions.
Play was switched to the right flank where Kanda quickly played the ball to the left with Mupera intelligently selling a dummy for Kabwe.
The attacking midfielder drilled a good curling effort to the top left corner where a diving Sibanda could not get his fingers to in a desperate effort to deny Bosso.
Hwange's Fortune Ncube sent a cross to substitute Ntokozo Tshuma in the 69th minute and he in turn sent it to Boriwondo who made certain with effort to pull one back for the visitors.
Although Hwange tried to come back into the game they found goalkeeper Arial Sibanda, who had another good game, being their main stumbling block. Sibanda had, before the match, been with the Nokel Security Goalkeeper of the Month award.
In the 33rd minute Hwange were awarded a free-kick outside the Highlanders box.
Ncube was behind it but he hit the Highlanders wall. A few seconds later Sibanda had to stretch to keep Ncube's effort out after Hwange were awarded another free-kick outside the box.
The resultant corner did not yield anything for Chipangano.
At the stroke of half time Kanda got the ball from Nkomo and his shot was tipped over the bar by Timothy Sibanda.
In the second half Highlanders played second fiddle to Hwange with Tshuma and Simon Njeleza's introduction changing the complexion of the coalminers' attack.
Coach Masuku pointed out at the end of the match that his team had relaxed and become complacent in the second half and that had cost them a goal.
"We played well according to our standards. We however relaxed in the second half and this saw us conceding the goal. Overall we played well," Masuku said.
Hwange coach Tennant Chilumba said his team had not played well in the first half but had later picked themselves up.
"We did not play well in the first half of the match.
"We lacked concentration. I am happy with the way my boys played in the second half and I must give credit to Highlanders . . . they played well," he said.
Teams
Highlanders: A Sibanda, B Dube, B Ndlovu, I Mapuranga, Z Ngodzo, P Abe (B Kangwa 88th minute), F Kanda (A Mbaiwa 83rd minute), E Mudzingwa, M Mupera, J Ngodzo (G Lunga 90th minute), L Nkomo
Hwange: T Sibanda, A Chuma, D Boriwondo, G Ndlovu, G Zulu, R Chinyengetere, F Ncube, S Jongwe (S Njeleza 46th minute), M Phiri (J Kapenya 50th minute), W Munyangwa (N Tshuma 62nd minute), M Chipunza
Highlanders, who now have 37 points, leapt four places up the ladder into third place on the Premiership standings behind leaders Motor Action with 52 and bitter rivals Dynamos who have 46 points.
Highlanders got their goals from a well-taken spot kick by Menard Mupera in the 20th, a 30th minute stunner from Zephaniah Ngodzo and a Protasho Kabwe beauty in the 47th minute.
Hwange got their consolation goal in the 69th minute through left back David Boriwondo who had earlier on turned villain when conceding a penalty which gave Highlanders the lead.
The teams started on a casual approach knocking the ball around looking for openings before Eric Mudzingwa had the game's real first crack at goal in the 17th minute which Timothy Sibanda saved.
Three minutes later, Mupera converted a spot kick after Boriwondo tripped Francis Kanda inside the box. Referee Makonese Masakadza did not hesitate to point to the spot despite protests from the Hwange players and their technical team. Play was stopped for about six minutes.
Mupera sent goalkeeper Sibanda the wrong way.
In the 30th minute Highlanders won a free-kick outside the Hwange box after Milos Phiri had hacked down Kabwe.
Lawson Nkomo took the kick and sent it to an unmarked Zephaniah whose blistering shot surprised even the goalkeeper Sibanda who thought it would go wide only for it to nestle at the back of the net.
Two minutes into the second half Kabwe added the third for the 2006 league champions.
Play was switched to the right flank where Kanda quickly played the ball to the left with Mupera intelligently selling a dummy for Kabwe.
The attacking midfielder drilled a good curling effort to the top left corner where a diving Sibanda could not get his fingers to in a desperate effort to deny Bosso.
Hwange's Fortune Ncube sent a cross to substitute Ntokozo Tshuma in the 69th minute and he in turn sent it to Boriwondo who made certain with effort to pull one back for the visitors.
Although Hwange tried to come back into the game they found goalkeeper Arial Sibanda, who had another good game, being their main stumbling block. Sibanda had, before the match, been with the Nokel Security Goalkeeper of the Month award.
In the 33rd minute Hwange were awarded a free-kick outside the Highlanders box.
Ncube was behind it but he hit the Highlanders wall. A few seconds later Sibanda had to stretch to keep Ncube's effort out after Hwange were awarded another free-kick outside the box.
The resultant corner did not yield anything for Chipangano.
At the stroke of half time Kanda got the ball from Nkomo and his shot was tipped over the bar by Timothy Sibanda.
In the second half Highlanders played second fiddle to Hwange with Tshuma and Simon Njeleza's introduction changing the complexion of the coalminers' attack.
Coach Masuku pointed out at the end of the match that his team had relaxed and become complacent in the second half and that had cost them a goal.
"We played well according to our standards. We however relaxed in the second half and this saw us conceding the goal. Overall we played well," Masuku said.
Hwange coach Tennant Chilumba said his team had not played well in the first half but had later picked themselves up.
"We did not play well in the first half of the match.
"We lacked concentration. I am happy with the way my boys played in the second half and I must give credit to Highlanders . . . they played well," he said.
Teams
Highlanders: A Sibanda, B Dube, B Ndlovu, I Mapuranga, Z Ngodzo, P Abe (B Kangwa 88th minute), F Kanda (A Mbaiwa 83rd minute), E Mudzingwa, M Mupera, J Ngodzo (G Lunga 90th minute), L Nkomo
Hwange: T Sibanda, A Chuma, D Boriwondo, G Ndlovu, G Zulu, R Chinyengetere, F Ncube, S Jongwe (S Njeleza 46th minute), M Phiri (J Kapenya 50th minute), W Munyangwa (N Tshuma 62nd minute), M Chipunza
Source - BF
