Bosso booted out of BancABC Sup8r

FC Platinum goalkeeper Francis Tizayi was the toast of the afternoon, saving two spot kicks that bundled the Bulawayo giants out of the re-introduced BancABC Sup8r tournament after the two sides could not be separated in regulation time here at Mucheke.

By Ishemunyoro Chingwere in Masvingo

Highlanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

FC Platinum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

FC Platinum won 3-1 after penalty shootout

Simon Munawa and Bruce Kangwa had their efforts saved while Herinati Masuku hit the upright. Milton Ncube scored Bosso’s face saver while Charles Sibanda, Daniel Vheremu and Joel Ngodzo carried the day for FC Platinum.

Despite his heroic exploits, that also made sure the scores remained level in open play, the short shot-stopper was, however, surprisingly denied the man-of-the-match award which went to his teammate — midfield workhorse Thabani Kamusoko.

Tizayi’s snub did not come as a surprise as organisers bungled the process, with some journalists voting BancABC executive Desmond Ali — who obviously did not play — and pay-per-view television channel SuperSport for the man-of-the-match award in protest over the ill-treatment they got from organisers.

Yesterday’s defeat was the log leaders’ third loss on the trot — having last tasted victory with a slender 1-0 triumph over Hwange on June 2, in a league match — and will now need to wait a bit longer before adding silverware in their cabinet which they last did in April 2011 via the Independence Cup.

Bosso will rue the few chances that came their way in early exchanges and, had it not been for some lack of precision in attack, should have scored at least a goal in the first four minutes.

Lloyd Mutasa’s charges quickly found their footing with midfielder Ali Sadiki getting into top gear and began probing their opponents’ goal and won a free-kick on the edge of the box in the ninth minute for their efforts.

Kamusoko’s swerving shot crashed against the wall. Bosso responded six minutes later with stylish Peter “Rio” Moyo gliding past Aaron Katebe before laying the ball to Milton Ncube, but the winger was stopped in his tracks by an alert Kelvin Moyo.

Five minutes before the half hour mark, Platinum striker Sibanda was unlucky not to have his name on the score sheet as his header off a Sadiki cross got the slightest of touches and was guided out for a corner — in acrobatic fashion — by the ever-improving Munyaradzi Diya.

In the 31st minute, an unmarked Masimba Mambare was next to miss a sitter as he blasted over the bar from close range after some nimble ball play involving hard-working Bosso wingback Bruce Kangwa and a rather subdued Beaven Chikaka.

In an ambitious change that seemed to have breathed more life into the platinum diggers, Samaita then introduced Joel Ngodzo for defender Aaron Katebe who was playing in midfield, and the Premiership’s most expensive player began to cause problems for his former paymasters.

In the 69th minute, the miners failed to combine effectively as speedy forward Donald “Dombo” Ngoma dribbled past Kangwa before outpacing Innocent Mapuranga wide on the right, but took too long to set up Mitchelle Katsvairo who was lurking in the box.

Stocky substitute Njabulo Ncube, who came in for Chikaka, almost stole the show with 10 minutes on the clock, out-muscling Kelvin Moyo and shooting on the turn, but his effort went just wide.

From the miss, Platinum launched a counter attack but were denied by Diya who tipped Katsvairo’s rather lame shot out for a corner. After the match, Mutasa — marking his return to the head coach’s post on the local scene after almost a two-year absence — was all praises for his charges.

“The youngsters did very well and I feel honoured by their display which I must say is a big welcome. Highlanders are a powerhouse so I told the guys that we have to beat them if we are to be counted among the best,” he said.

On the penalty shootout, the former Dynamos midfielder said, “I was a very good penalty taker during my playing days, so the players are taking after their coach. Tizayi is a very good goalkeeper and did exceptionally well today.”

His Bosso counterpart was naturally deflated. “Losing on penalty shootouts is always very painful. We had our chances which we, however, failed to take and football, being a game of chances, we lost.

“Coming into the match on the back of two straight defeats for a team with a winning culture like us was always going to be difficult and now we have lost out on a potentially big purse, but it is my prayer that we regroup and start winning again,” he said.

There was, however, a disturbing scene after the match as Bosso manager Willard Khumalo bayed for the blood of referee Nomore Musundire and had to be restrained by the referee’s assistants and police officers.

Teams

Highlanders: M Diya, S Munawa, B Kangwa, I Mapuranga, D Ndlovu (E Mudzingwa 62nd), H Madzivanyika, M Mambare, P Moyo (O Zibande 73rd), H Masuku, M Ncube, B Chikaka (N Ncube 55th)

FC Platinum: F Tizayi, E Moyo, D Vheremu, K Moyo, R Muduviwa, T Kamusoko, A Katebe (J Ngodzo 45th), A Sadiki, C Sibanda, N Maziwisa (M Katsvairo 58th), D Ngoma.