Dynamos . . . . . . . . (2) 3 Shooting Stars . . . . . . . 0
Harare giants Dynamos stormed into the semi- finals of the Mbada Diamonds Cup after trouncing city rivals Shooting Stars at a packed Maglas Stadium on Sunday.
With the win DeMbare set up a date with FC Platinum in the semi- finals. The miners beat Hwange through a penalty shootout at the Colliery on Saturday.
In the other quarter-final match Motor Action beat Blue Ribbon 1-0 in Torwood to book their ticket to the semi- finals against Zimbabwe Saints at a date to be announced.
DeMbare unsettled the nerves of their opponents as early as the third minute through a Tawanda Muparati strike. Man-of-the-match Roderick Mutuma scored the second goal before substitute Denver Mukamba scored the third.
Mutuma fired home in the third minute after capitalising on a goalmouth scramble.
The second goal came in the 35th minute when Mutuma scored with a glancing header from a Guthrie Zhokinyi cross to beat Godfrey Brown in goals for Shooting Stars.
The final nail in Stars’ coffin came in the 74th minute when hard-running Martin Vengesayi was fouled in the box by the Stars goalkeeper.
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Referee Nduma Nkosana pointed to the penalty spot which was converted by Mukamba sending Brown the wrong way to make it 3-0 in favour of Dynamos. Shooting Stars coach Jostein Mathuthu attributed the defeat to lack of concentration.
“We played better than Dynamos in the first half, but DeMbare were winners because they managed to bury their chances. In the second half they were first on the ball. We lost concentration. All the goals we conceded were a result of defensive blunders,” Mathuthu said.
Dynamos assistant coach Tonderayi Ndiraya said the team was happy to book their ticket to the semi-finals of the Mbada Diamonds Cup.
“It is interesting that we are meeting FC Platinum in the semi-finals which happens to be the same team whose necks we are breathing down in the championship race,” Ndiraya said.
In another quater-final match midfield hardman Isaac Masame’s 34th-minute goal was enough to send Motor Action to the semi-finals as the Bulls rode past 10-man Blue Ribbon in match at Torwood Stadium yesterday.
With the victory the Mighty Bulls set up a date Zimbabwe Saints who beat Kiglon 9-8 on penalties on Saturday.
In a drab afternoon which produced a few mouth-watering instances, it was Blue Ribbon players Tineyi Chitora and Takesure Chiragwi who hogged the limelight for the wrong reasons. The pair were involved in a heated scuffle.
The players almost came to blows with Chiragwi accusing Chitora of letting the team down with poor play.
Away from the ugly incident, Motor Action assistant coach Prince Matore showered praised on his charges for their resolute showing.
“We are happy we won. Our boys fought hard for the result. We knew it was going to be a tough game since they once beat us in a league match. We were alert and aggressive in every aspect of the match. We are happy we are in the semi-finals and we will take each game as it comes, but Cup games are tough and unpredictable,” Matore said.
While Matore was saluting his boys, his opposite number Misheck Chidzambwa took a rap at his players.
“We deserved to lose because we were not playing football. My players simpy failed to play football,” Chidzambwa said.
