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Dynamos complete League, Cup double

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Sports Reporter Motor Action . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1 Dynamos completed a memorable League and Cup double after a second- half goal by lanky striker Roderick Mutuma helped them edge past […]

Sports Reporter Motor Action . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1

Dynamos completed a memorable League and Cup double after a second- half goal by lanky striker Roderick Mutuma helped them edge past a determined Motor Action side in a rain-soaked Mbada Diamonds Cup final at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.

Mutuma showed his predatory instinct after side-footing the winner into an empty net on 76 minutes, pouncing on a rebound from a shot by substitute Denver Mukamba which the Mighty Bulls’ goalie Marlon Jani could only parry back into play.

Heavy rains during the match forced South African referee Daniel Bennett to call the players off the field twice in the match, initially after just 17 minutes, which led to a 15-minute delay.

Play resumed for the second time, but lasted only nine minutes as the rains started pouring down yet again leading to another 42-minute delay.

This led to a thorough inspection of the waterlogged playing surface by Bennett who later consulted with match commissioner Gladmore Muzambi before play could resume.

The giant stadium’s drainage system was yet again exposed as most parts of the turf were waterlogged. The only chance of an uneventful first half fell for Mutuma in the 40th minute but the lanky striker was denied by Jani in a face-to-face situation.

Motor Action came from the breather the more dangerous side, but had nothing to show for their dominance as they missed a glut of chances that came their way.

Their strikers took turns to miss chance after chance with striker Tawanda Nyamandwe the chief culprit as he either shot wide or found the impressive Dynamos goalie Washington Arubi unyielding.

The Mighty Bulls dominated the midfield battle — with Allan Gahadzikwa and Gift Phiri a constant menace to their counterparts with short and incisive passes — but were let down by their strikers.

Dynamos, who had lost Archford Gutu due because of an injury just before the half-time break, were made to play second fiddle for the better part of the match, as Motor Action quickly settled on the drenched turf.

Mutuma, who had come in for Gutu just before the breather, made the difference in the end. His shot from outside the box forced Jani to parry it back into play before falling kindly for Mutuma who made no mistake from close range.

The goal sparked wild celebrations from the relieved Dynamos fans who had been subdued for the better part of the match.

Dynamos coach Calisto Pasuwa was a happy man after his team’s victory and said he hoped it was proof to those who doubted him that he is a good coach.

“I’m the happiest man alive. I’m happy for the boys for putting up a brave performance despite playing under pressure for long periods in the match. I hope with this win I have proved to those who doubted me that I’m capable of standing alone and delivering in the top job after serving as an assistant coach to other coaches,” said Pasuwa.

His counterpart Joey Antipas blamed his team’s defeat to poor finishing by his strikers.

“We had a good game, especially in the second half where we created a lot of chances, but we let ourselves down because of our poor finishing.

It doesn’t matter how much you dominate the match, if you don’t convert them (chances) into goals you will be punished and that is what happened to us today. Credit to Dynamos, they created just one half-chance and they took it and it made the difference,” said Antipas.