مبروك للمريخاب .. المريخ يتقدم بهدفين لـ قلق و الزهرة .. وسط دهشة جماهير الهضاب - زمبابوي

Quote: Highlanders hammered by El Merreikh By Goodwill Zunidza HIGHLANDERS paid the supreme price of staging their home tie away from home with a subdued performance that saw them hammered by Sudanese opponents in their CAF Confederation Cup third round, first leg encounter at Gwanzura Stadium. Highlanders…………..........................……(0) 0 El Merreikh…………..............……………..(0) 2 Minus the usual vociferous support that their affectionate fans dish out at the Soweto stand at Barbourfields, Highlanders looked lost in front of a good crowd of 8 000 supporters that, however, did not give them a chance to settle down and play at the pace they are used to. Through this fact, or perhaps not even withstanding it, Highlanders were unable to penetrate the solid El Merreikh defence that had five men protecting an impostor of a goalkeeper in Hafez Ahmed, who fumbled every ball that reached his leaky gloves. Coach Mohammed Abdah was left thanking his lucky stars that the home strikers never noticed the goalkeeper’s vulnerability to attempt even long drives at him.Methembe Ndlovu, the highly regarded Highlanders mentor, could not help but blame the lukewarm support his charges received from the largely Harare residents, not very familiar with the visitors’ style of play. Said Methembe: “The environment was hostile to my players. Had we played at Barbourfields Stadium the story could have been different. But it’s possible to turn the tables in Sudan, if they scored here what can stop us from scoring in their backyard.” After bravely holding the physically big and strong visitors in the first 45 minutes of the game, Highlanders, playing a continental fixture in Harare for the first time, cracked and allowed the Sudanese to do the taboo and score an away goal in the 57th minute. Badr Eldin Eldood rose to connect weakly a perfect cross from the large and incharge Faisal Agab but the ball eluded Warriors goalkeeper Washington Arubi to settle in the net and through that disrupt Highlanders future plans in the tournament. Although the Bulawayo side were jerked into life after this setback and strung meaningful passes towards goal, they virtually conceded defeat in the 74th min after the Sudanese again found the target. El Merreikh substitute Alaa Abelzhar, with only two minutes on the pitch, accurately shot home despite being sandwiched by Highlanders defenders Gilbert Banda and Peter Makuvise who failed to communicate and left possession on the feet of their opponent. The forceful substitute took full advantage to successfully aim a low shot to the right of an exposed Arubi. The visitors, certainly no pushovers after they reached the final of the same competition last year, used their imposing statures to dwarf their opponents and were tactically and technically superior in all departments that left spectators considering the second leg as a write off. The Zimbabweans, thoroughly restricted as they were, had their chances and one in the 20th minute saw experienced centreback Anzlom Ndlovu sliding past a defender and combining with hardworking Wellington Sibanda to produce a cross that was headed wide by gunman Cuthbert Malajila. For some reason, Malajila, one of the Premier Soccer League’s most feared strikers, was a lonely figure upfront and could not sustain the ernomous responsibility placed on his shoulders that his main role in the game was setting up his teammates. One such sitter saw substitute Mkhupali Masuku blast well into the sky after Malajila clinically slid to him following good work by Sibanda on the right. The other shortcoming on the part of the home side was their crowded midfield where three players, Johannes Ngodzo, Richard Choruma and Stephen Alumenda all performed a defensive role leaving Sibanda as the only attacking linkman to Malajila while Douglas Zimbago was virtually anonymous. And the 78th minute substitution of Ngodzo for Masuku, another defensive midfielder, did not help matters at a time the home side were 02 down and needed to go forward in search of a facesaver. A tough assignment now awaits the Zimbabweans in the return leg in Sudan and cynics will be forgiven for declaring Bosso goners in the African safari.