Match Summary Highlanders 1 Triangle 0 Highlanders shot to the top of the Premier Soccer League log table this afternoon when they performed a smash & grab act to dismiss an ill disciplined Triangle FC side at Barbourfields Stadium. Ill conceived tactics by Gishon Ntini, the coach back fired as his players resorted to time wasting antics & the impressive referee of the day was having none of the nonsense & rightly sent off two players for wasting time. In the 81st minute, Triangle stopped the match to make a substitution. Pasca Manhanga appeared to refuse being taken off & the bench had to form a caucus to make new a substitution. Limited Chikafa was then substituted but he took an eternity to come off. He made his exit in slow motion & half way down the pitch made a U turn to hand over his armband to the vice captain. The referee fired warning shots with his whistle but Chikafa who had been booked earlier was lackadaisical in his approach. He was shown a second yellow & subsequently a red card. He literally refused to leave the pitch after being sent off & the referee had to enlist the services of the ZRP to escort him off. Triangle players went off in protest & a good 8 minutes elapsed before they gingerly took back to the field again. All the while Bosso players where keeping in shape by doing ball drills. Just as play was about to resume. The Triangle goalkeeper decided to feigning injury & went down in a heap. The referee assessed him & told him to get on with play. He refused & was booked. He protested & remained `sleeping` & a second caution followed. He was red carded as well. He surprised all & sundry when he stood up and trudged off without any signs of discomfort. Play only resumed after about 15minutes of no action & it was no surprise when the officials added 16minutes at the end of regulation time. The first half was a tale of missed chances for Bosso as they laid siege on the Triangle goal area but just could not find the net. Chances were being created left right and centre but that final touch was missing as the strikers shot either off target or the tame efforts were being smothered by the keeper. The forwards were producing energetic displays, but their over-exuberance got the better of them. Well worked moves always broke down in the final third of the pitch. Vintage footwork by Master Masitara, Driving runs by Mambare, the trickery exhibited by Gabriel Nyoni & the workman like shift put by Kangwa could not unlock the Triangle defence. They camped in their own half & seemed content with a point. So easy was life at the back for Bosso that Mapuranga had the opportunity of venturing forward to add numbers but the goal just would not come. Ariel Sibanda who was in goals for Bosso today barely made a save as Triangle had no shot on target the entire match. Having reached the interval at nil all Bosso came out for the second half still pushing hard to break the deadlock. Triangle tried to break the momentum of the wave after wave of Bosso attacks by resorting to time wasting. Visiting teams & their goalkeepers in particular have of late found the going tough & escape the pressure through feigning injury. They have turned Barbourfields into a ”bedroom” & the 18yard box into their own comfortable `bed` where they lie down for long periods of time. Today`s referee was having none of that. The time wasting antics made to frustrate the home team backfired horribly today for Ntini & his charges. Sixteen minutes where lost & sixteen minutes were added at the end of regulation time. More drama was to follow as Ntini verbally abused the fourth official & play was stopped as he was sent to the stands. He refused to leave the pitch area & again the law enforcement agents had to physically eject him from his seat. Highlanders laid siege on the Triangle rearguard & it was only a matter of time before the defence crumbled. It was a barrage of attacks like never before seen. One Triangle defender got a knock & as they had exhausted all their substitutes they went onto to play a further man down. The pressure was rising, and finally the boiler exploded with fourteen minutes of the sixteen having been played. A move of devastating simplicity. Bhekimpilo sent in an out swinging cross into the crowded box & youngster Ozias Zibande stole in inbetween the defenders at the back post with a thumping diving header to give Bosso the lead & more importantly the win. The win torched wild celebrations around the terraces as news filtered in that our rivals had slipped & thus Bosso had shot to the summit of the standings. The championship destiny is now in Bossos hands & the equation is simple. Win the remaining two games. It can be done. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ARIEL 6 Was a surprise inclusion & he was never troubled. Didnt make a single save the entire match as Triangle had no shot on target. All he did was to deal with back passes & taking goal kicks. MUNAWA 8 Man Of the Match. Kept Pascal Manhanga under lock & key. He defended well. Needs to improve on overlapping & delivering good crosses. KANGWA 7 He was unyielding as well & attackers down his wing found no joy. Overlapped ever so well but his crosses into the box found no takers. MDZINGWA 6 Tsiba had it easy & barely broke sweat as Triangle didnt offer any offensive threat. INNOCENT 6 Captain Inno had time today & the space to venture forward to add numbers in attack. He had a comfortable afternoon. MTHULISI 6 He sat in front of the central defence pairing to do the mopping up job. He did that job ok but we feel he is more useful when aiding the attackers. Hillary currently out injured. RIO 7 Deft touches from the dreadlocked, pint sized midfield magician. Was instrumental in orchestrating moves. The chances created were fluffed. MAMBARE 6 Ran his socks off, missed a glut of chances & created a couple for his teammates. It just didnt happen for him. HARITEN 5 Another player guilty of missing chances which came the way of Bosso. Appeared to be a shade slow. He stung the keeper with a rasping shot in the first half and that was it. MASITARA 6 Showed a few vintage flashes of trickery but never got going. He hustled & bustled but to no avail. GABRIEL 6 He missed a couple of chances that would have put the game away. Kept the agging defenders on their toes with his fast pace. OZIAS/ BHEKI/MILTON The substitutes did well. They brought about the much needed urgency which ultimately resulted in that priceless goal. REFEREE Top notch refereeing by the man in the middle. Applied the rules with chilling accuracy.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:13:38 +0000
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