DYNAMOS . . . . . . . . .0 FC PLATINUM . . . . (1) 1
DYNAMOS’ 2017 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League campaign got off to a slow start after they were edged by FC Platinum in a match at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The Glamour Boys, with a new-look squad blended with youth and experience, went into the match hoping for a positive result against their adversaries, who dominated in last season’s meetings.
New signings Lincoln Zvasiya, Gift Saunyama, Quality Kangadzi and Emmanuel Mandiranga started the match and gave a good account of themselves, as the home team dominated the first half.
They showed a lot of verve and carved out good chances, only to be let down by poor finishing.
Denver Mukamba missed a good opportunity on 33 minutes, his shot slipping through the hands of goalkeeper Petros Mhari before hitting the post.
Kangadzi had earlier missed another chance on 22 minutes following a good delivery by Mandiranga.
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And FC Platinum duly punished the Harare giants when they were awarded a penalty in two minutes of added time in the first half after skipper Ocean Mushure was adjudged by referee Ruzive Ruzive to have handled the ball inside the penalty area.
Soccer Star of the Year finalist Winston Mhango stepped up to take responsibility and converted the penalty, which appeared to deflate the Glamour Boys.
In the second half, Dynamos tried to come back, with Mandiranga shooting straight into the hands of the keeper in a one-on-one situation after breaking through the defence.
But the platinum miners threatened with some dangerous raids. New signing Gift Mbweti, also one of the 2016 Soccer Star of the Year finalist, kept the Dynamos defence on its toes, as he kept asking questions.
And the visitors could have added the second one on 77 minutes after Charles Sibanda latched on to a miscued clearance by Zvasiya to fire the ball into the net.
However, the linesman waved for offside in what was seen as a controversial decision.
However, FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza was pleased with the victory after the match.
“I think in the first half we struggled a bit. It’s the start of the season, but I think as the game progressed, we managed to take control of the game,” he said.
“I am happy for the boys they worked so hard. We came here and got a positive and that’s what we wanted. I was happy with Mbweti. His contribution was fantastic, he brought a new dimension to the game.”
Mapeza’s counterpart Lloyd Mutasa expressed disappointment with the result.
“I think like any coach, you would want to start off with a win, but this was not to be. This is what happened at the end of the day and you have to accept it as a coach and move forward,” he said.
“We had our chances and I would like to believe were better than them, but we couldn’t score. We played well, but you can never be satisfied as a coach when you are on the losing end.”
