HIGHLANDERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(1)1
CAPS UNITED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(0)0
A COOL finish by Reason Sibanda in the second minute was all Highlanders needed to secure maximum points at Barbourfields Stadium against an unlucky Caps United in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match.
Brighton Ncube collected a pass from Prince Ndlovu and delivered an inch-perfect pass to Sibanda, who controlled the ball, maintained his composure and beat a badly exposed Harmony Nare in the near post.
The goal seemed to spur Highlanders on, and it appeared they would score an avalanche of goals. However, they fluffed their lines. Caps United grew in confidence and started to cause problems for Highlanders. Joseph Embollo, Love Mabiala and Juan Mutudza all came close, with Bosso defenders clearing from the line as Caps sought to restore parity in the first half.
There was an incident caused controversy when a header by Embollo hit the underside of the crossbar and Caps players appealed to the second assistant referee, Tafadzwa Nkala, to award the effort as a goal.
Referee Lawrence Zimbondi had another difficult afternoon, having faced heavy criticism when he officiated the Highlanders versus Manica Diamonds match last season. He made several questionable decisions that agitated the crowd at Barbourfields Stadium.
Caps United assistant coach Tonderai Marume felt they were unlucky to walk away from Barbourfields Stadium without the maximum points.
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"It's a bitter pill to swallow. We feel the pain because if you look at the aspects of the game, I think our boys managed to apply all the aspects. Tactically, technically, we were not compromised, and even physically and mentally, we were okay. Unfortunately, games are decided by finer details. We lapsed in a crucial moment and gave away an early goal," Marume said.
Highlanders coach Kelvin Kaindu was happy that his team kept scoring in every match. "It was not an easy game. Playing against a Caps United team that has not picked a result in the last two games is difficult. It could have gone either way, but once again, we showed that we can score and maintain our scoring ratio in every game, although there were moments when we almost let ourselves down by conceding," Kaindu said.
With the victory Highlanders moved up to position seven with nine points, while Caps United dropped to second from the bottom with four points.
Highlanders: R Muza, T Dube (B Mlotshwa, 53'), A Ndlovu, M Ncube, R Sibanda (T Muvuti, 79'), M Hativagoni, B Ncube (McKinnon Mushore, 79'), Mason Mushore, N Rauzhi (N Banda, 90'), L Mutumbi, P Ndlovu (H Ncube, 53')
Caps United: H Nare, K Mangiza, K Benyu (E Manokere, 65'), B Kangwa, H Chapusha, B Manhire, P Bamusi, L Mabiala (J Bunjira, 65'), T Shandirwa, J Mutudza (J Bakare, 79'), J Embollo
