Black Mambas . . . . . . (0)1 Dynamos . . . . . . . . . (4) 4
Dynamos coach Lloyd Mutasa silenced his critics with a five-star performance as his side tamed Black Mambas in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer league match at Rufaro on Thursday.
Mutasa came into the match under a lot of pressure from the club’s die-hard supporters but the soft-spoken gaffer left the stadium all smiles after watching his men producing an inmpressive first-half performance which saw them reap four goals.
Midfielder Archford Gutu was the star of the show as he fired in two classical free-kicks from just outside the box early in the game while striker Rodrick Mutuma, who has a love-hate relationship with the fans, also silenced his detractors with a brace midway through the first half.
Mambas’ Innocent Nyoni scored his side’s consolation goal in the 67th minute as their opponent had clearly slowed down the tempo in the second stanza and were content with just passing the ball around.
The win took Dynamos, who are now on 19 points, to sixth position on the log, leap-frogging Masvingo United who were whacked by Caps United on Wednesday.
Black Mambas dropped to 14 on the log with 10 points while Shabanie Mine who held Zimbabwe Saints to a nil-all draw on Thursday assumed the 13th position with 11 points.
Dynamos assistant coach Masimba Dinyero looked calm after the match and said on Thursday’s emphatic win released a lot of pressure from the team.
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“After our 1-0 win over Shooting Stars last week, we managed to score four goals today (Thursday) which is a sign of good things to come,” said Dinyero.
“We can all afford to smile now. It was also good for the strikers who managed to find goals after a very long time,” added the pint-sized assistant coach.
His opposite number, Martin Bonongwe, conceded his side were outclassed especially in the first half where they could only manage two shots at goal.
“In the first half we were jittery and conceded early goals. We improved in the second half as we managed to keep possession, but the damage had already been done.
“The defence has been the big letdown for the team this season, they have been conceding goals in almost every match,” said Bonongwe.
In a season where scoring had been taboo for Dynamos, the Harare giants were a changed side on Thursday as they found the target as early as the fifth minute when Gutu’s well-placed free-kick just outside the box beat Learnmore Jere in goals for Mambas.
Gutu was back to haunt Mambas 20 minutes later when Dynamos were awarded another free-kick in almost the same position as the first one and the midfielder expertly chipped the ball over the wall and into the net, fooling the whole Mambas’ defence and Jere who was expecting a thunderbolt.
Mutuma would put the game beyond Mambas in the 32nd and 39th minute when he blasted from inside the box after being fed by the lively Denver Mukamba on both occasions.
