Bosso suffers huge blow

Sport
HIGHLANDERS will be without striker Gabriel Nyoni for the next couple of weeks following an injury that saw him being stretchered off the field on Sunday.

HIGHLANDERS will be without striker Gabriel Nyoni for the next couple of weeks following an injury that saw him being stretchered off the field during Sunday’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) match against Shabanie Mine.

THANDIWE MOYO SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Nyoni came in for Charles Sibanda in the 59th minute, but a tackle by Shabanie captain Rodney Mware had him substituted for Welcome Ndiweni in the 76th minute.

Bosso assistant coach Mark Mathe said Nyoni’s leg had been put in a plaster and that they were waiting for confirmation from the doctor on his condition.

“At the moment he has been put in a plaster. We should know by the end of the day what his condition is because at the moment he is at the doctor’s (offices). I would want to say he broke his foot because yesterday (Sunday) he could not stand,” he said.

Nyoni joined Highlanders last season from Bulawayo Chiefs and made an immediate impact in his debut appearance against Monomotapa.

Bosso boss Peter Dube said they were waiting for the doctor’s report on the player’s condition.

He said they would only know by end of day yesterday after all the tests had been conducted on the player.

Highlanders handed Shabanie Mine a 4-1 drubbing in a match which saw Munyaradzi Diya becoming the team’s top goalscorer.

Bosso whose lacklustre performance in previous games had seen them fail to score, were awarded two penalties in the first half both of which were converted by goalkeeper Diya with other goals coming from Knox Mutizwa and Milton Ncube.

The two penalties were disputed by Shabanie Mine coach John Phiri who said referee Bekezela Makeka was not justified in awarding them and “they were dubious”.

In the first incident Smart Muchabaiwa in an effort to clear, handled inside the box and in the 42nd minute Milton Ncube was brought down by Hardlife Muvundi as Bosso piled pressure on the visitors.

Two more goals in the 58th minute and a minute into extra time secured a well-fought win by Highlanders.

Mutizwa who early this year was believed to have been transfer listed, scored in the 58th minute with Ncube assisting before scoring in the dying minutes of the match.

Mathe, in charge as head coach Kelvin Kaindu is in the United Kingdom, said it was positive for the team to have scored.

As Bosso did not score in their first match against Chapungu, this means that Diya becomes the top marksman for the former league champions.

In other matches Hwange held on to the top spot on the PSL log when they came from two goals down to beat FC Platinum in their own backyard.

Platinum led throughout the first half, but consistency and determination from the coal miners saw Aleck Marime securing a brace with Eric Chipeta scoring straight from a corner-kick.

From two games Hwange lead the standings with six points having scored eight goals and conceded three, Highlanders are second with four points and a superior goal difference than Caps United, ZPC Kariba and Chapungu who all have the same number of points.

ZPC Kariba stunned defending champions Dynamos with a solitary strike from Artwell Nyamiwa.