BY HENRY MHARA
CAPS UNITED . . . . . . . . (0) 4
HIGHLANDERS . . . . . . (0) 2
CAPS UNITED returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion, beating Highlanders 4-2 in a six-goal thriller at Rufaro Stadium to ease the pressure on coach Takesure Chiragwi and deliver a rare moment of joy for Green Machine supporters.
Substitute Tinotenda Meke inspired Caps United's second-half revival with a superb brace.
Uchizi Vunga and Chris Mugalu added further goals in a dominant attacking display.
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The defeat compounded a week already marked by tragedy for Highlanders.
The Bulawayo giants entered the fixture reeling from a fatal road accident that claimed the lives of three executive members — Ken Mhlope, Sifiso Siziba, and Khoza Nkani — alongside club supporter Mbalenhe Sibanda.
A solemn minute of silence before kickoff set an emotional tone, while former Caps United captain Phineas Bhamusi was honoured for a decade of service before beginning his new role on the technical bench.
For much of the opening period, Highlanders appeared capable of turning their difficult week into a determined performance.
Chawananga Kaonga had threatened early for the hosts by fluffing a one-on-one opportunity, but the visitors steadily grew into the ascendancy.
Livewire winger Mongameli Tshuma orchestrated proceedings from the flanks, releasing Benjamin Odeogun, whose effort was well saved by veteran goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
The game changed after the break following tactical adjustments by Chiragwi, whose position had come under pressure after two straight defeats and only two wins in 14 matches.
In an effort to address their struggles in front of goal, the club hired a sports psychologist during the week, while club president Farai Jere convened an open crisis meeting with supporters in a bid to restore confidence.
The gamble paid immediate dividends. Just 30 seconds after the restart, Meke punished a defensive lapse with his first touch to put Caps United ahead.
“We didn’t play well first half,” Chiragwi conceded after the match. “We had a lot of shortcomings in everything, all aspects of the game. We were second on the ball. Ball rotation wasn’t there. Even our pressing wasn’t good enough. But the good thing that we did is not to concede a goal and it gave us a chance to reorganise.”
The tactical shift bore rapid fruit.
Vunga doubled the lead in the 58th minute, firing into the far corner after beating two defenders.
Just seven minutes later, Mugalu made it 3-0 by ghosting behind Kuda Mahachi, who misjudged a bouncing ball, allowing the striker to convert.
Highlanders briefly found a lifeline when Tshuma — a constant menace — was brought down inside the area by Kudzai Chigwida, allowing Odeogun to tuck away the resulting penalty and reduce the deficit to 3-1.
But any hopes of a stirring comeback were extinguished when substitute Junior Bunjira drove forward on the counter and fed Meke. The substitute then sealed victory with a moment of individual brilliance, beating goalkeeper Aaron Ngwenya and two defenders with a clever feint before finishing calmly.
Highlanders refused to yield entirely.
Deep into injury time, the irrepressible Tshuma was once again upended in the box — this time by Njaliwa — allowing substitute Isaac Ngoma to convert from the spot and lend a measure of respectability to the scoreline.
Highlanders' late appeals for a second penalty were waved away after the ball ricocheted onto Njaliwa's arm from his thigh.
Highlanders coach Benjamin Mwaruwari cut a philosophical figure in his post-match assessment, acknowledging the heavy toll of an emotionally exhausting week during which his side managed only three days of training.
“Of course, we know we had challenges, we had a bad week,” Mwaruwari said.
“We know we didn’t train enough. We trained only three days, but we don’t want to hide about that. If you can look at it, we played so well first half. And I guess it was a game of two halves. In the second half, Caps came stronger and we gave them two soft goals. From there, we never recovered. We tried, we played our usual game, but we were disjointed. In the end, I used the last 30 minutes to just give the other players a run. But you can tell we had a bad day. From that second goal, you could tell that we weren’t going to come back.”
The victory lifted Caps United to sixth place on 42 points, five ahead of Highlanders, and eased the pressure on Chiragwi after a difficult run.
“In the second half, we tried to have more pace going forward. That’s why we brought on Tinotenda Meke,” Chiragwi reflected. “gave us energy, speed and individual quality. We managed to get an early goal in the second half. That also gave us the advantage because Highlanders had defended their shape well.”