BY HENRY MHARA
HARARE CITY . . . . . . . 0
DYNAMOS . . . . . . . . . . 0
HARARE City overcame the absence of three key players to book their place in the quarterfinals of the Chibuku Super Cup after holding Dynamos in a Group 1 match at Baobab Stadium in Mhondoro-Ngezi yesterday.
The Sunshine Boys, who needed a draw to go through to the next stage, went into the battle without their captain Marshall Machazane and midfield duo of Tatenda Tawengwa and Ben Musaka through suspension.
The trio were barely missed as those entrusted by coach Lloyd Chetembwe to do the job went about their duties in a professional manner.
In the end, they earned a point which was enough to secure them the last quarterfinal spot from the pool ahead of ZPC Kariba, who lost to Caps United in the other Group 1 match, also played yesterday.
City, who finished second in the group with 14 points, will face Group 2 winners,Cranborne Bullets, in the quarterfinal where they will be in search of their third title in this competition.
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Group leaders Dynamos, who finished the group stage campaign unbeaten, will play Group 2 runners-up, Black Rhinos, in the quarters. The quarterfinal matches are scheduled for this weekend.
“It was a difficult game as we had anticipated,” Chitembwe said. “This Dynamos team has improved so managing to get a result that we wanted is massive. I should give credit to the boys, they really applied themselves well. I am happy that we managed to get this great result without three of our key players.”
“We are excited to be still in this tournament and we still want to continue so we are looking forward to the next match against Craneborne,” he added.
Dynamos, having secured the quarterfinal slot a while back, made eight changes to the team that played in the match against Caps last week as coach Tonderai Ndiraya chose to give a run to fringe players.
Only goalkeeper Taimon Mvula, Stephen Appiah and Bill Antonio retained their places in the team that faced Caps, with Albert “Bollo” Manenji and 17-year-old Lower Six Prince Edward student Stephen Chatikobo receiving their debuts.
The result of the changes was a disjointed performance by Ndiraya’s side, especially in the first half. They sat back for the better part of the game, trying to catch City on the break.
Explaining the changes, Ndiraya said: “We were forced to drop some key players because they were carrying yellow cards so we didn’t want to risk them getting more cards and be suspended for the quarterfinals. We really want to go to the quarterfinals with a strong team. We had to make that bold decision and I am happy that the players gave us a good result. It’s a pity they didn’t win, but I’m impressed how they went about their business today.”
“You wouldn’t think it was his (Chatikobo)’s debut today. He was in there in the thick of things. His presence was really felt. I’m impressed by the youngsters and by the way the whole team played today. We defended well like we have done throughout the tournament and that should give us more strength as we go forward.”
Despite a slow start to their match, Dynamos should have taken the lead on the 8th minute when Ali Maliselo’s defence-splitting pass found Manenji, who cut back for David Temwanjira but the striker side-footed the ball wide from a metre out.
Temwanjira had the ball on the back of the net minutes later, but was flagged offside
It took City 13 minutes to threaten when Masukuta’s powerful drive from outside the box was parried away by Mvula.
William Manondo, often reliable for City, missed a sitter when he somehow failed to guide a Masukuta’s cross on target.
Both teams lowered their tempo in the second half, with the players visibly struggling with the hot weather conditions as the game petered to a goal less draw, much to the excitement of the Harare City side.
Teams
Harare City: P Chigumba, H Chapusha, Z Bizeki, K Kapikinyu, D Masukuta, M Muchenje, C Rupiya, W Manondo, I Zambezi, J Chipangura (E Ziocha, 88′), E Mandiranga
Dynamos: T Mvula, S Appiah, A Mawadza, E Jalai, T Muringai, A Manenji, S Chatikobo, B Mushunje, A Maliselo, B Antonio (T Chidhobha, 85′), D Temwanjira (L Musikiri, 60′)
Follow Henry on Twitter @henrymhara
