Dynamos and Highlanders — the biggest franchises and the most successful Zimbabwe football teams — hogged the limelight in the opening weekend of the 2012 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL), pumping a combined seven goals past their hapless opponents.
Highlanders shot to the top after firing four to no reply against Blue Rangers at Barbourfields via a Milton Ncube hat-trick. Newboy Ozias Zibande scored the fourth after coming in as a substitute and Zambian coach Kelvin Kaindu will be pretty pleased with an opening win.
At Rufaro, Takesure Chinyama hit another treble as Dynamos made Hardbody look so soft in their debut for a 3-0 win by the defending champions. Defender Partson Jaure is one key Dynamos player to watch this season. For Dynamos, it looked like it’s just business as usual in terms of the support base after more than 12 000 fans turned up for the match. It was also business as usual as journalists struggled to enter before the start of the match, only making their away in five minutes after the game had started.
For Highlanders, the only way to charm back the fans would be to produce results and after the emphatic win attended by about 5 000 fans, things should start looking up if more wins come.
In the opening week, a total of 22 goals were scored from five wins while three games ended goalless. FC Platinum thumped Black Mambas 3-1 at Morris Depot on Saturday, Monomotapa came from a goal down to beat Buffaloes 3-1 while Hwange edged Quelaton 4-3 at the Colliery.
There were two hat-tricks and two braces from Russell Madamombe of Monomotapa and Chakanyuka Kundishora from Quelaton.
In comparison, to last season’s opening week 20 goals were scored. 12 came from two matches where Caps United thumped Zimbabwe Saints 5-3 while Chicken Inn and then Blue Ribbon drew 2-2.
Highlanders — last season — were the other big winners as they thumped Shabanie Mine 3-0 while two games ended in goalless draws. Unlike this season where there was no shock opening result. Dynamos slumped to a 1-0 home defeat to Kiglon on day one last year.
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Chinyama’s form bodes well for Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo ahead of the preliminary round, second leg of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi at Rufaro in June. The Warriors lost 2-1 on February 29 in Bujumbura and will ne looking at turning around that deficit to qualify for the next stage of the games.
Top scorers: 3 — Takesure Chinyama (Dynamos), Milton Ncube (Highlanders) 2 — Kundishora Chakanyuka (Quelaton), Russel Madamombe (Monomotapa) 1 — Ozias Zibande (Highlanders), Kuda Musharu (Monomotapa), Elton Dzumbunu (Buffaloes), Nicholas Alifandika (Black Mambas), Norman Togara, Qadr Amini, Ali Sadiki (all FC Platinum), Gilbert Zulu, Allan Tavarwisa, Munyaradzi Mungadze, Francisco Zvikumbawire (all Hwange), Eddie Nkulumo (Quelaton)
