HIGHLANDERS coach Mark Mathe has heaped praise on juniors King Nadolo and Godfrey Makaruse for their outstanding performance against Dynamos in the Gushungo Victory Cup at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday saying they are the future for the team. SUKOLUHLE MTHETHWA SPORTS REPORTER
Dynamos lifted the cup winning 3-2 on penalties in a match that was organised to celebrate President Robert Mugabe’s victory in the harmonised elections in July last year.
Nadolo was named man-of-the-match.
“I was very impressed with the young lads’ performance when we played Dynamos,” Mathe said.
“It is paramount that we get players from our juniors to graduate into the senior team. They are the future of the team although we still need to combine them with seasoned players.
“During the course of the week we were psyching up the players. We were telling them that they play for a big institution like Highlanders. We told them that they have to know what playing for such a big club means. We told them that they have to play for Bosso’s pride. The key for the young lads was belief.”
Highlanders attacking midfielder Charles Sibanda and former captain Innocent Mapuranga converted while Valentine Ndaba, Gabriel Nyoni and usually reliable spot-kick taker Munyaradzi Diya missed.
Ocean Mushure, Oscar Machapa and Blessing Moyo converted their penalties in a match which saw Augustine Mbara and Fabrice Mbimba missing. Mathe said he was happy with the team’s performance despite failure to win. “Overall, we played well,” he said.
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“I was impressed with how the team played. The team had a positive attitude, showed a lot of character and tenacity. The match was different because over the years Dynamos would beat Highlanders in open play.
“The players played for pride. They were playing for the team’s legion of fans. It is very unfortunate that we ended up on the losing end. We lost with dignity and pride because it was not a walkover for Dynamos.”
Dynamos walked away $45 000 richer while Highlanders pocketed $35 000 in a match attended by high-ranking government officials who included Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and Sport, Arts and Culture deputy minister Tabetha Kanengoni Malinga.
