Students teach Kaindu a lesson

Highlanders 1 -  2 Herentals
HERENTALS secured a remarkable victory at Barbourfields Stadium with a memorable brace from Clemence Gobvu, which was enough to subdue a lackluster Highlanders in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match.

From the start, it was clear that Herentals’ strategy of playing a physical game was effective, as Bosso struggled to find their rhythm and appeared disjointed. Coach Kelvin Kaindu was forced to make three substitutions at halftime after his team went down by a goal before the break.

Herentals coach Celestine Benza was ecstatic after the final whistle.

“Sweet victory, very, very sweet. Especially considering this was our first win against Highlanders, both home and away, since we were promoted to the Premiership. We are very happy, especially to achieve this at their home ground.

“All we needed to do was to ensure they didn’t play in our defensive third because we knew they are very dangerous when passing into the attacking third. We let them play at the back and congested our defensive area, and it worked very well,” Benza said.

In the opening minute, Arthur Ndlovu misjudged a long ball and nearly gifted Herentals an early lead, but he managed to clear it for a corner. The Students came out firing, forcing two corners within the first few minutes.

In the third minute, Ndlovu was penalized for a foul on Tino Benza at the edge of the box, resulting in a free kick for Herentals. However, Tino’s effort was disappointing, as it was blocked by the Bosso wall.

Bosso began to find their footing and grew in confidence. After 12 minutes, Honest Mhlanga was fouled in midfield just after the center line, and Marvelous Chigumira's long-range shot struck the upright.

The match was highly physical and marred by frequent stoppages, with referee Mhaka Magara struggling to maintain control as both teams clashed.

Herentals took the lead in the 43rd minute when Gobvu easily tapped in from a free kick after Chigumira fouled Erick Dembo in Bosso’s half.

In added time, Gobvu had a chance to double the lead but surprisingly missed a clear opportunity at the edge of the box after a Tino layoff.

In the second half, substitute Grey Kufandada beat the offside trap and set up Dembo for a sitter, but Reward Muza made a fine save to deny him. Bosso equalized in the 53rd minute through Lynoth Chikuhwa, marking his eighth goal of the season.

However, Herentals regained the lead after a brief stoppage in the match due to Bosso fans protesting an offside call. When play resumed, Herentals won a corner in the 62nd minute. Gobvu’s free header from Dembo’s cross, which was hotly contested by Bosso players who argued that it should have been a throw-in rather than a corner, beat Muza and trickled into the net.

Herentals held on from that point to secure all three points.

Kaindu acknowledged the defeat and lamented the defensive errors. “Very frustrating. From the kickoff, you could tell it was going to be a difficult game for us. We looked so jittery in defense from the first whistle. We could have conceded a penalty from one long ball. Again, we made our own mistakes; we struggled with the defense that played in the last game. Even the goals they scored were gifts from us; they didn’t have to work for them,” Kaindu said.

Highlanders FC

R Muza, T Dube (G Makaruse 46), B Mlotshwa (P Muduhwa 46), Mason M, McKinnon M, N Ndlovu, H Mhlanga, A Ndlovu, N Rauzhi (L Chik M Chigumira

Herentals

H Chikosa, A Maliselo (M Chimedza 82), B Phiri, E Dombo (M Mekiwa 69), T Benza (B Majarira 90), J Tafadzwa, B Majarira (G Kufandada 46) C Nyatondo, Z Ruguchu, I Benza (W Kapumha 46), C Gobvu

Castle Lager Premiership Matchday 25 results

Fulltime:

Highlanders 1-2 Herentals
Dynamos 1-0 Chegutu Pirates
Hwange 1-0 Chicken Inn