DYNAMOS might have qualified for the first round of the African Champions League, but they were the first to admit that their performance against Lesotho Correctional Services was not good enough as they prepare to face CA Birzetin of Tunisia.
FROM SIMBA RUSHWAYA IN MASERU, LESOTHO
The Zimbabwe champions fell 1-0, but still pulled through on a 3-1 aggregate.
Dynamos are now due in Harare today after missing their flight from Maseru yesterday afternoon. All the players and club chairman Keni Mubaiwa spent another night in Maseru.
If they replicate the same lethargic act against Birzetin in the next stage, they are sure to exit the Champions League once again after two unsuccessful attempts under Kalisto Pasuwa. Pasuwa has been outstanding with Zimbabwe’s biggest team domestically, but has always found the going tough on the continent.
In a match played before a small crowd at Setsoto Stadium, Dynamos were ultra defensive and tame upfront where on-loan forward Francisco Zekumbawira flopped. The giant striker missed what could have been Dynamos’ only goal, flaunting the opportunity in the first half.
Dynamos fell to the Basotho side on Sunday courtesy of a goal in the 84th minute when Thabane Ranlegoti punished the Dynamos defence by nodding a header past impressive goalkeeper Artwell Mukandi, clearly the man-of-the-match for the visitor.
Backed by a vociferous travelling party that drowned the home crowd, Dynamos played a hugely defensive match because they came into the match with a healthy 3-0 lead. With DeMbare failing to make an impression on the pitch, entertainment was instead provided by the colourful visitors’ fans who cheered the team non-stop.
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The supporters were led by Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters’ Association president Eddie “Mboma” Nyatanga.
Speaking to NewsDay Sport at the team hotel yesterday, Pasuwa said their next opponents were tougher than Lesotho Correctional Services and he will tell the team to change their attitude.
“It will be a different ball game altogether. I was not impressed by the way we played against Lesotho Correctional Services yesterday (Sunday). We have to up our game because we will be facing formidable opponents. We have to be more aggressive and apply the correct attitude if we are to make it.
“I’m very confident we will make it because we have players like Murape Murape who will assist the young guys psychologically,” the gaffer said.
There was clear lack of experience in the game against the Basotho team with players Zekumbawira and Ugandan import Boban Ziruntusa lacking the cutting edge upfront. Zekumbawira was guilty of unnecessarily losing possession when fed from the middle of the park where Devon Chafa and Stephen Alimenda did the dirty work alongside Murape.
Defender Augustine Mbara was a marvel whenever he overlapped while Partson Jaure was dependable as usual in the rearguard. But the most impressive player on show was Mukandi, who seems to be wresting the goalkeeping position from George Chigova.
Mukandi thwarted dangerous raids from the home side who attacked from the word go.
LISTEN TO A PODCAST OF FANS REACTION TO DYNAMOS’LOSS IN MASERU
