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NewsDay

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Muparati has final say

Sport
Caps United . . . . . . . . . . 0 Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1 Dynamos midfielder Tawanda Muparati’s last-minute strike against Caps United rescued what could have been a very disappointing Castle Lager Premier Soccer League derby at the National Sports Stadium yesterday. […]

Caps United . . . . . . . . . . 0 Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1

Dynamos midfielder Tawanda Muparati’s last-minute strike against Caps United rescued what could have been a very disappointing Castle Lager Premier Soccer League derby at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.

The Lloyd Mutasa-coached team battled with 10 men in the last 23 minutes of the match after Martin Vengesai was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Arnold Chivheya.

Vengesai had been harshly booked earlier in the game after defender Douglas Walaza had tumbled on him, but referee Pascal Zata, who made a lot of questionable decisions throughout the match, decided to caution the speedy striker instead.

The red card however proved to be the turning point of the match as Caps United for a moment took hold of the match, but Dynamos — backed by a vociferous crowd — fought back and deservedly won all three points.

The goal ignited wild scenes inside the stadium as the visibly emotional Mutasa, who came into the match under severe pressure sprinted to the dressing room at the final whistle while Caps United’s big goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda and goalscorer Muparati wept uncontrollably.

There is no doubt Sibanda was feeling the pain of that last-minute sucker punch whilst Muparati’s tears were those of joy.

Mutasa later refused to talk to journalists who followed him to the dressing room and instead referred them to his assistants.

“This was one win we wanted badly,” said the visibly relieved Munyaradzi Diya. “Caps United had a better share of possession in the first half, but we controlled the second half. Even if we were one man down we pressed forward and I think the red card motivated the players. We had to fight hard all the way and credit to the boys. They did just that and we managed to get all three points.”

On the last-gasp goal itself and Mutasa’s reaction after the final whistle, Diya said: “That’s part of football, sometimes you need a bit of luck to win a match. Luck was on our side today. I’m not sure what is going through his mind at the moment, maybe it’s his way of celebrating a big win like this.”

Caps United coach Moses Chunga, whose dicy relationship with Caps United fans cannot be over-emphasised, said: “I hate losing to anyone; losing is not enjoyable at all. You can’t afford to lose concentration at the last minute of a match like this,”