Dynamos captain Cuthbert Malajila is confident his team will be crowned the 2011 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions this Sunday.
Dynamos rose to the top of the standings on Sunday with a 1-0 win over former leaders FC Platinum at Mandava Stadium, and although both teams have 55 points, the Harare giants have a plus-four goal advantage.
Malajila, who was wearing the Dynamos captain’s arm band on Sunday said: “Those guys (FC Platinum) were defending too much, but we managed to stretch them to the very limit.
“And the goal we got showed that they were under a lot of pressure from us. As for us, we played well as a unit against people who were playing for a draw.
“I am 100% certain that come Sunday we will be crowned champions. We are playing at home and considering our character there is no way we will be beaten. And with the kind of support we have been getting from our fans and the whole Dynamos family, victory is very much possible.”
But assistant coach Tonderayi Ndiraya has issued a stern warning to his charges to be wary of sinking into complacency when they meet relegated Kiglon in their final match of the season next week.
Dynamos had an afternoon to savour after toiling for 62 minutes before Platinum’s defence which had been offering steely resistance succumbed.
The result dragged the title race to the final day, but given Dynamos’ determination, they are likely to easily walk past Kiglon who will be playing for nothing. Vheremu’s goal had the potential to be a title-clincher, but Ndiraya refused to get carried away.
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“Our game against Kiglon would be a very difficult one. Even though they have been relegated, they are a very dangerous team,” said Ndiraya.
“Remember they beat us in our first game of the season so we are not underestimating them. They can spoil our day, so I am warning my team to guard against complacency. We are taking that game seriously and of course we will not relax. We are known to be hard workers, so we will work very hard.”
Ndiraya remained diplomatic on his team’s chances of claiming the title.
“Yes, we badly want to win the championship there is no doubt about that. But having won today (Sunday) does not mean we have already achieved our goal.
We still have a short distance to go before we start celebrating. This is a game of football anything can happen.”
He attributed the victory to the unrelenting pressure they exerted on their opponents.
“Due to the pressure we were putting up, they yielded to that. We were so forceful and that is why they conceded an own goal. But overall, we played well.”
Platinum’s assistant coach Tendai Chikuni bemoaned the goal that beat his side as “unnecessary”.
“If you take a very closer look at it, we played very well in the first half, but conceded a silly goal just like what we did last week in the Mbada Diamonds Cup. The goal was unnecessary,” he said.
Coach Rahman Gumbo used all the weapons in his armoury and helplessly witnessed his side go down. He could rue a last-minute golden chance where Benjamin Marere ballooned his attempt away.
