Reigning Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Champions Dynamos gave themselves the ideal confidence booster for this weekend’s first round, second leg Caf Champions League against Liga Muçulmana with a 3-0 win over Hardbody at Rufaro on Sunday.
In-form striker Takesure Chinyama, who bagged a brace in the away leg in Mozambique recently, continued with his rich vein of form with a superb hat-trick that sank Hardbody.
While Sunday’s win was the perfect preparation Dynamos would have wanted, for their coach Calisto Pasuwa it exposed some weaknesses his team needs to work on.
The former Warriors midfielder said he was worried by his team’s poor conversion rate and hinted he would make some changes for the first round, second leg Caf Champions League against Liga Muçulmana at Rufaro.
“I’m very much worried by the chances we missed, especially in the first half. In the first 15 to 20 minutes we were missing so many chances. We were getting in the box, but the conversion was just not there,” Pasuwa told reporters after the match.
Chinyama’s striking partner Rodrick Mutuma and winger Denver Mukamba both hit the woodwork from clear scoring chances while the hero of the day, Chinyama, also squandered another great chance early in the match.
Pasuwa will be hoping his other attacking options start finding the back of the net regularly so they lift the burden from Chinyama’s shoulders.
DeMbare will be without winger Wonder Sithole for Sunday’s match, as he was not registered for the Champions League, but Pasuwa hinted on some more changes.
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“There is Wonder (Sithole) who is not registered for the Champions League and there are few guys who need to pull up their socks. We will have to revisit their positions.”
In the absence of Sithole, speedy Martin Vengesai, who came in as a substitute, could bounce back in the starting line-up while veteran Murape Murape could also be another option.
Meanwhile, Hwange left for Sudan yesterday for their first round, second leg tie against Al Amal Atbara on Friday at the Stade Al-Amal Atbara amid indications the match could be moved to Sunday.
This means Hwange would have to foot expenses for the extra day they will spend in Sudan if the match is played on Sunday and they fail to get a flight out, as Caf states hosts can only cater for visitors for a maximum of five days.
Then coal miners left Harare yesterday aboard an Ethiopian Airways flight and are expected in Khartoum tomorrow before connecting to the host town, 250km away from the capital city.
Zifa communications manager Nicky Dlamini-Moyo confirmed the coal miners’ departure and said they were expected to be in Atbara by tomorrow for Friday’s return leg. Dlamini-Moyo yesterday said security fears for the Zimbabwean team had been allayed, but stated they had been indications the Sudanese club wanted to move the match to Sunday.
“They are leaving this afternoon (yesterday) to South Africa and then connect to Ethiopia. They will then fly from Ethiopia to Khartoum (Sudan) and then take another flight to Atbara. If the itinerary has not been changed they are expected in Atbara on Wednesday (tomorrow).
“The match is being played on April 6, but there had been indications Al Amal want the match to be played on Sunday, but from our communication with Caf, the match is to be played on April 6,” Dlamini-Moyo said.
“We have been assured the team will be safe. There are no security threats,” she added. Hwange secretary Burzil Dube, who is travelling with the team, also confirmed the departure, but said he had not received any communication from Al Amal on their intention to have the match moved to Sunday.
FC Platinum, who are playing El Merreikh in the second leg, first round of the Champions League on Saturday night, will follow tomorrow. Said Phil Muvengwa, team secretary yesterday: “The team, which comprises 20 players and five technical officials, leaves on Wednesday (tomorrow) via Ethiopia and will connect to Khartoum at 11:50pm, getting there at 2am. “We also have a number of our members and supporters who have paid for their own tickets for the match.”
Both Hwange and Platinum were planning to charter an Air Zimbabwe flight for the trip, which could have accommodated more than 100 of their supporters, but the charges proved exorbitant. While the two teams take flight to Sudan, the war between the south and north is raging on, according to reports.
Sudan said South Sudan’s army had attacked the Sudan side of the disputed Heglig oil field area, scene of several clashes in the past days, state news agency SUNA said.
“The (Sudanese) armed forces are now dealing with the enemy forces,” army spokesman Sawarmi Khalid Saad told SUNA.
“The government of Sudan attacked Manga today (yesterday) at two in the morning,” Pagan Amum, head of South Sudan’s negotiating team told reporters in Addis Ababa, where the African Union is trying to restart talks between the neighbours.
“Panakuach, also in Unity State, has been subjected to aerial bombardment today, including attacks by helicopter gunship,” he said. “As we speak, Sudan is bombing South Sudan.”
