Bosso disarms Gunners

Highlanders 1 Gunners      0 
High-flying HIGHLANDERS does it again, Bosso "simply deserved to win because they played well," these were the words of Gunners' coach Thanks Tengwe at the end of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match between his side and Bosso at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday. 
The match ended 1-0 thanks to a 19th minute header by Milton Ncube after a cross by Bruce Tshuma from the right flank.
The Gunners goalkeeper Stephen Chimusoro could not stop the header which was from close range.
The move prior to the goal saw five Highlanders players exchanging passes before dribbling wizard Moyo spotted an overlapping Tshuma on the right who intelligently brought in a cross that found Ncube inside the 12-yard box to nod home.
Bosso could have easily scored more than half a dozen goals thereafter but their players took turns to miss the target.
"I think complacency was our biggest undoing, especially in the second half," said Bosso gaffer Kelvin Kaindu.
Bosso could have grabbed a second goal a minute later through Ozias Zibande who headed over from just under the bar after being set up by Moyo.
He had managed to fool Gunners' outstanding captain Pardon Chinungwa.
Three minutes later, Masimba Mambare, operating from the right flank, made a mockery of Munyaradzi Kunyarimwe who saw it in his wisdom to bring Mambare down and the referee, Nkosana Nduna, who had a good day in office, rightfully signalled for an infringement and gave the Gunners leftback a yellow card.Kunyarimwe had a terrible afternoon which he would definitely  not want to remember.
Gunners kept on back pedalling as Highlanders threatened to repeat scoring many goals as they did against Quelaton but the goals were just not coming.Some of their forays were thwarted by Valentine Ndaba in midfield who also had a decent game and perhaps it is because of him that Bosso scored just one goal.
Even coach Kaindu agrees that the visitors were more visible in midfield.
"Our opponents congested the midfield and it was difficult for us to play our usual game," he said.
In the 32nd minute, Mambare was to embarrass Kunyarimwe again when he left him sprawling on the turf near the corner flag but his cross found no takers inside the box with the ball trickling away for a throw-in.
He was to be brought down again just outside the box by the same man and this time Nduna was lenient as the tackle deserved a yellow card which could have sent the Gunners defend for an early shower.
The set piece was again wasted by Highlanders in an afternoon in which there was poor execution of free kicks.
The second half saw Highlanders making a double substitution, Bhekimpilo Ncube coming out for Honest Moyo and chief striker Graham Ncube replacing Zibande.
Moyo took the leftback position and the hard-running Bruce Kangwa was then pushed forward to the left wing.
Gunners were then to make their own changes, bringing in Tapiwa Mangezi for Elvis Gutuza in the 54th minute before making another change 18 minutes later, taking out Ndaba for Farai Madora with Bosso taking out Milton for Simon Munawa three minutes later.
The substitutes made little impact to Highlanders game but the opposition caused anxious moments for Bosso towards the end.
Highlanders have now gone for 18 games without defeat and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the opponents to stop the juggernaut.
"We gave Highlanders too much respect from the onset.
"We failed to even mark them especially on the wings where I think they were stronger but nevertheless I think my boys played very well and now the focus is on surviving relegation," said Tengwe.
His counterpart, Kaindu, who has transformed Highlanders into a powerful team, said the match was one of the most difficult they have encountered at Barbourfields this year.
"What is important though is that we collected three points and we still remain unbeaten," he said.
Teams:Highlanders: A Sibanda, B Tshuma, E Mudzingwa, I Mapuranga, M Maphosa, P Moyo, M Ncube (S Munawa 75th minute), B Ncube (H Moyo 52nd minute), O Zibande G Ncube 52nd minute), M Mambare, B Kangwa. Unused Subs: K Mutizwa, D Ndlovu, M Sibanda, A Katsande.
Gunners: S Chimusoro, P Chinungwa, M Muchenje, I Lawe (T Dephistara 78th minute), W Gondo, J Jangano, V Ndaba (F  Madora 72nd minute), B Sande, E Gutuza (T Mangezi 54th minute), F Chirinda, M Kunyarimwe.Unused Subs: A Gwatidzo, C Makuruva, P Chigumba, G Goriyathi.