Bosso in narrow win over FC Platinum

From Paul Mundandi in  ZVISHAVANE

FC Platinum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Highlanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . ( 1) 1

Charles Sibanda was on target again yesterday as Highlanders continued their dominance over FC Platinum with a narrow win in a thrilling Castle Lager Premiership soccer tie at Mandava yesterday.

The win saw Bosso keep their titles hopes alive as they remained on the second position of the log with 38 points. They trail champions Dynamos by a point after the Glamour Boys registered an away win in Triangle.

A second minute strike from the boot of former FC Platinum midfielder Sibanda was all the visitors needed to keep a happy face on the Bosso faithful and coach Kelvin Kaindu who was under pressure for positive results recently.

An alert Highlanders striker Njabulo Ncube robbed his former teammates Aaron Katebe and Daniel Veremu in a defensive mix-up and sent an inch-perfect pass to Sibanda, whose first time shot waltzed past diving goalkeeper Francis Tizayi to take his season’s tally to 12 goals in the league competition.

“I was happy to punish my former teammates. I know their play was centred on me as I was tightly marked. I am not a natural striker but I managed to score past them despite being tightly marked. After the goal they failed to play their normal game as they were pumping the ball forward,” said Sibanda.

Rahman Kutsanzira could have put the score beyond the platinum miners’ reach in the 23rd minute. Former platinum midfielder Joel Ngodzo shook his markers on the left side and sent an inviting cross in the box and with no green and white shirt in the box Kutsanzira chose to be stylish with his header, directing it to the terraces.

After the miss, FC Platinum could have equalised in the 42nd minute but the ball hit the upright post and the rebound found no taker allowing the Bosso defence to clear.

Then left-back Qadr Amin blasted a corner by Raymond Sibanda from the right to the terraces with Bosso defence at sixes and sevens after the interval. Youthful forward Walter Musona, who received a rare start from coach Norman Mapeza, was the next to miss. Super substitute Benjamin Marere won the ball on the right and sent an inch perfect pass to Musona but the young man, with Bosso defence nowhere in sight, blasted his effort to the skies.

Musona was to miss again in the 87th minute when he shook his markers and with the goalkeeper at his mercy he again sent his effort wide.

Musona nearly got it right in the 89th minute when he went past Rahman Kutsanzira. He let go a bullet but found Aerial Sibanda at his best as he blocked his effort allowing the Highlanders defence to clear.

FC Platinum new coach Mapeza had faced lightweights in Black Rhinos and Bantu Rovers since taking over from Lloyd Mutasa recently but yesterday it was a mammoth task as he faced the Bulawayo giants and former Zimbabwe champions. The Chronicle