Highlanders are the Independence Day Cup winners for the second successive time after beating Dynamos 5-3 on penalties at Mt Darwin High School on 18 April.
The country’s two biggest football clubs took their rivalry away from Harare and Bulawayo to Mashonaland Central Province as part of the main 43rd Independence Day anniversary celebrations.
Yesterday, Highlanders were forced to play one man down for long periods, after Andrew Mbeba was sent off for a crude tackle on Nyasha Chintuli, in the 33rd minute.
The match ended 0-0 and had to be settled through a penalty shootout.
The Glamour Boys’ Emmanuel Paga, who failed to find the back of the net with only the goalkeeper in his sight in the 85th minute, had his penalty saved by Ariel Sibanda in the shootout.
Highlanders coach Baltemar Brito said his boys deserved the win after keeping Dynamos at bay with 10 men. He said:
<blockquote>
I’m happy to have finally won my first silverware in the country, it means a lot for the entire technical team and the fans who travelled all the way from Bulawayo. The boys played well
Mbeba made a mistake and his teammates accepted it and fought for the club to win this trophy.
I’m happy with how we managed the game. The boys were just confident and I think they deserve it.
</blockquote>
DeMbare coach Herbert Maruwa bemoaned his strikers’ failure to convert the chances they created. He said:
<blockquote>
We did well in all the departments but our strikers let us down.
They missed a lot of chances and in football, you can only win by scoring goals and that’s what we failed to do.
But, overall, I’m happy with how the boys played, it’s only the final third where we need to be more ruthless.
</blockquote>
Highlanders beat Dynamos 1-0 in the Independence Day Cup final last year, through a goal by Stanley Ngala.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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