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Prince ensures perfect start for Highlanders

Sport
HIGHLANDERS got their 2017 Castle Lager Premier Soccer league campaign to a perfect start after dismissing Bulawayo City at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.

HIGHLANDERS . . . . . (0) 2 BULAWAYO CITY . . . . . . 0

HIGHLANDERS got their 2017 Castle Lager Premier Soccer league campaign to a perfect start after dismissing Bulawayo City at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.

BY FORTUNE MBELE

Prince Dube races down the pitch to score Highlanders’ opening goal (Pic: Khumbulani Mpofu)
Prince Dube races down the pitch to score Highlanders’ opening goal (Pic: Khumbulani Mpofu)

In an encounter that lacked the competitive edge of a city derby, two second half goals from Prince Dube and Simon Munawa earned the Bulawayo giants maximum points.

Munawa sent through Dube in the 56th minute, for the lanky striker to beat an advancing Bulawayo City goalkeeper Aaron Ngwenya before placing the ball into an empty net.

Two minutes later, Roderick Mutuma, who produced commendable work rate upfront, had his celebration cut short after second assistant referee Wellington Mazambane flagged him for offside after beating Ngwenya from a Dube pass inside the penalty box.

Munawa then ghosted from the right in the 65th minute to connect a cross by Dube to score Highlanders’ second goal.

Coach Erol Akbay was happy with the three points, but not with the overall performance of his charges.

“Getting three points was most important, but we failed to score in the first half. We knew our opponents would get be tired in the second half and managed to get those two goals. I am happy our defending was good, but we played badly in the last 20 minutes,” he said.

Bulawayo City have themselves to blame, after sitting back in the first half and only looking threatening when they decided to be offensive towards the end of the game following the introduction of striker Mkhululi Moyo and midfielder Ransome Pavari for skipper Mkhokheli Dube and Heritein Masuku respectively.

Their coach Mandla Mpofu admitted they were too cautious in the first half.

“I said it last week that we were playing a big team, which is gunning for the championship. We were a bit cautious in the first half and did well, but lost concentration in the second half,” he said.

“But I want to believe that we are building a team that is going to compete going forward.”

Munawa could have scored in the 24th minute, but his effort, after beating defender Munyaradzi Mungadze, was blocked out for a corner-kick by Nyasha Mukumbi, with Brian Banda’s long range shot in the 36th minute safely collected by Ngwenya.

Pavari came in and stabilised the Bulawayo City midfield, with Moyo troubling the Highlanders’ central defence of Benson Phiri and Peter Muduhwa.

TEAMS

HIGHLANDERS: A Sibanda, B Ncube, H Moyo, B Phiri, P Muduhwa, E Mudzingwa, P Dube, S Munawa, R Mutuma (R Matema 77’), B Banda, A Gahadzikwa (A Silla 70’)

BULAWAYO CITY: A Ngwenya, M Kadzola, Z Sibanda, N Mukumbi, M Mungadze, K Madzongwe, E Nkulungo (I Kutsanzira 62’), T Ndlovu, H Masuku (R Pavari 85’), S Ndlovu, M Dube (M Moyo 62’)