Highlanders coach Madinda Ndlovu has defended his goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda after he made two mistakes which cost the team last weekend.

Sibanda conceded two goals which gifted ZPC Kariba their first win of the season.

According to the Chronicle, Madinda said it would be unfair to blame one player for the loss.

“We lost that game as a team, the blame for the defeat should not go to Ariel alone because everyone from the fans to us (technical bench) wanted a win,” said the coach.

“When you are a coach, and you find yourself in such a situation, you can’t crucify your players because you have put everything up front.”

Madinda also gave an overview of the team’s last five games and said their performance was below par, as they failed to reach targets they set for themselves.

They had set a target of collecting a minimum of nine points and maximum of 11 points for their last five matches, but could only manage seven.