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Yogi, Mafu blast strikers

Sport
HIGHLANDERS coach Bongani Mafu says his strikeforce let him down after yet another disappointing campaign against Dynamos at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.

HIGHLANDERS coach Bongani Mafu says his strikeforce let him down after yet another disappointing campaign against Dynamos at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.

BY THANDIWE MOYO

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, meaning Highlanders have lost four points to their bitter rivals this season after losing 3-2 in the reverse encounter in June.

Highlanders have not beaten Dynamos in a league match since 2006.

Mafu’s twin strikers Obadiah Tarumbwa and Knox Mutizwa wasted a number of chances especially in the first half, while Dynamos took advantage of one defensive lapse to equalise three minutes after the breather when goalkeeper Njabulo Nyoni failed to cover his near post, resulting in Takesure Chinyama’s goal.

The Highlanders gaffer said they did not stick to their formation especially in the second half where they failed to come up with meaningful shots at goal.

In the second half, Dynamos had about three shots at goal with Highlanders having one header off target from Mutizwa despite the fact that most of the action was concentrated in the Dynamos half.

“We could not convert and I think my mighty combination of Obadiah and Knox should be a little bit more ruthless. They are twisting and turning where they should be blasting that ball,” he said.

Even after the addition of the skillful King Nadolo for Highlanders in the second half for an injured Mthulisi Maphosa, Highlanders still failed to find the target as it was little too late.

Maphosa had given Highlanders the lead with a sublime header in the 27th minute before he was injured later in the second half after a misstep as he tried to tackle Ocean Mushure.

The young Nadolo, who has proved a thorn in many defenders’ flesh, changed the game for Highlanders as he assumed the role of playmaker well.

Highlanders had no playmaker in the first half and their use of long balls rendered their usual ball distributor Nqobizitha Masuku useless in the midfield.

While Mafu could have been devastated by the equaliser, it was Dynamos coach David Mandigora’s half time pep talk and tactical changes that swung the game in his favour.

But Mandigora also blamed his strikers’ finishing for their failure to win matches, saying had they been more accurate in not only the Highlanders match ,but all their other draws, they could have won.

Dynamos had a number of shots at goal as they attempted to catch Highlanders on the break and were firing at every opportunity they got.

“The reason why we are drawing is because we are not scoring. If we score goals, we will win games. We have to try and improve on our scoring. We did not create enough chances. In the second half, we were more direct, but in the first half, we were a bit slow,” Mandigora said.

In the last seven matches, Dynamos have only managed one win against Highlanders (3-2) and Mandigora hopes the presence of Chinyama and Richard Kaondera will get his team some goals going into the next three tough matches against ZPC Kariba (home), Triangle (away) and Tsholotsho (away).

Dynamos failed to beat the three teams in the first half of the season.

On Sunday, Mandigora played Masimba Mambare too deep in the first half which suffocated Walter Mukanga’s movement, but the former Highlanders man was then moved a little bit further in the second stanza to stabilise the midfield.

Highlanders are ninth on the standings with 22 points, while Dynamos remained in fourth with 29 points, the same as How Mine who were felled 2-0 by Hwange at the Colliery.

Triangle shot to the top, a point ahead of last week’s leaders Chicken Inn who are on 31 points. Triangle stunned ZPC Kariba 2-1 at Nyamhunga.

The Barbourfields game was well handled by referee Philani Ncube despite an incident where Dynamos fans threw missiles into the field of play after a Chinyama goal in the 39th minute was disallowed for an infringement on goalkeeper Nyoni.

Dynamos secretary Webster Chikengezha was also left “blue faced” when he complained about poor match officiating in the first half and wrote a letter to the match commissioner, but deliberately left out the issue of missile throwing from his team’s fans.

Last week, Dynamos president Keni Mubaiwa had indicated that his team feared violence at Barbourfields only for their own supporters to turn out to be the culprits in the same match.

Before the match, Highlanders supporters, aided by their South Africa Supporters’ Branch, staged a peace protest, appealing for a violence-free match and the message seemed to have gotten through to the Bosso fans.