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Dynamos win as Caps bite the dust

Sport
Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2)2 Shabanie Mine . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Hwange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1)1 Caps Utd . . . . . . . […]

Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2)2 Shabanie Mine . . . . . . . . . . . 0

Hwange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1)1 Caps Utd . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(0)0

The castle Lager name was yet again dragged into the mud on Sunday when the match between Dynamos and Shabanie Mine at Rufaro Stadium started 30 minutes late because the host team had requested for the delay to make way for their supporters who were still outside the stadium.

Match referee Norman Matemera said he delayed the match following an instruction from match commissioner Brighton Mudzamiri who had spoken to the Dynamos management.

Players from both sides were on the field of play at 1500hrs, the time the game was supposed to start, but there were no referees in sight.

After 20 minutes of waiting, Matemera emerged from the dugout to call all players back into the dressing rooms and after some few minutes they were back onto the field, this time with all match officials in company.

A moment of silence was observed before kick-off to honour the late former army commander Retired General Solomon Mujuru.

It was Dynamos who came out of the blocks first, with a rejuvenated Denver Mukamba hitting the nets as early as the fifth minute from inside the box and barely were the celebrating Dynamos fans back on their seats when Cuthbert Malajila hit a ferocious shot from the edge of the box that beat Roy Mazingi to settle into the right top corner.

The win took Dynamos back onto third position with 36 points, just a point ahead of Highlanders who were held to a 1-1 draw by Chicken Inn, and five points adrift of the leading pair of Motor Action and FC Platinum who cancelled each other to a goalless draw on Sunday.

Shabanie remain stuck in the relegation zone at 13th position with 20 points.

Dynamos assistant coach Tonderai Ndiraya said his team was still hopeful of snatching the title from the leading pair.

“There are 27 points left to play for, so we still have a long way to go. We will try to collect as many points as we can. Who knows perhaps at the end of the season we would be champions. We hope to continue with this kind of performance, the team played really well,” said Ndiraya.

Shabanie coach Luke Masomere was furious at the end of the match.

First, he questioned the delay of the match, with the outspoken coach suggesting it was an underhand plan to give the hosts an unfair advantage.

He was also left seething with anger at his players who failed to convert the chances they created.

“Where on earth have you heard that a match is delayed to wait for supporters who are outside the stadium?” asked Masomere.

“It doesn’t make sense at all. With only nine games remaining, people will do anything. This is all I can say. I won’t clarify further, but it will not surprise me to see Dynamos winning the championship if we let this kind of management continue in our league. We tend to forget that we have sponsors who should be respected,” said Masomere.

Dynamos started the match on the offensive and could have found the lead as early as the first minute when Tawanda Muparati’s volley off a Rodrick Mutuma cross missed the target by a few inches.

However, the exciting Mukamba, who gave the opposition defenders a torrid afternoon with sheer trickery, did not miss the target from that sort of range four minutes later when he was set up by the impressive Mutuma to beat Mazingi.

Malajila scored his second goal in as many matches when he was set up by the lively Mutuma again to hit the roof of the net with a thunderbolt. Meanwhile, it seems the Caps United losing streak just won’t go away.

After new coach Lloyd Chitembwe took over last week and delivered a 2-0 against Kiglon, it was back to losing ways yesterday.

And this time, it was Hwange who did away with Caps’ mini-revival in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match played at the Colliery on Sunday.

Veteran striker Gilbert Zulu scored the all-important goal in the 20th minute as Hwange bounced back from last week’s 2-0 loss to Chicken Inn in Bulawayo.

Caps goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda almost brought silence to the Colliery in the fifth minute when his free-kick outside the box was blocked by the Hwange wall.

Hwange swiftly delivered a counter attack when Rodwell Chinyengetere broke away, but Sibanda was alert enough to stop the raid.

Nkosana Siwela also came close five minutes from the breather, but missed the target as the hosts finished the first half strongly.