DYNAMOS vice-captain Thomas Magorimbo has challenged his troops to raise the bar if they are to claim their fourth straight Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title.
TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
The champions, on top of the league table with 54 points with two games left before the end of the campaign, face closest challengers ZPC Kariba in a tie at the National Sports Stadium (NSS) on Saturday.
ZPC Kariba, in second place with 53 points, had leapt to the summit of the table on Saturday after overcoming Harare City 3-2 before Dynamos earned a vital point against a spirited Bantu Rovers which lifted them back to the top of the log.
Magorimbo, who skippered the team in the dull 0-0 draw against Bantu at Rufaro on Sunday, acknowledged their performance in the last two games in which they were also held to a 1-1 draw by Chapungu at the same venue, has been unconvincing and not consistent with a team hungry to grab the championship for the fourth successive season.
“We were too ordinary against Bantu. We weren’t convincing, but it usually happens with these small teams. We usually struggle when we play these small teams and Bantu proved very difficult to break down. We don’t see ZPC Kariba going to be as difficult as Bantu,” Magorimbo said.
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“We know it will not be easy, but this is a must-win encounter for us. We have since laid to rest that performance against Bantu and have been talking about the ZPC Kariba match. They beat us in the reverse fixture, but we are all speaking the language of victory this time around,” he added.
“We know winning this match will be enough for us to win the league title.”
Despite dropping four points following two successive draws against Chapungu and Bantu, the champions take comfort in the fact that they are unbeaten in their last 17 matches and a draw against ZPC Kariba will not be a bad result as they will need to beat How Mine on the last day of the league programme to claim the championship.
This is regardless of ZPC Kariba also winning their last match against Caps United.
Caps United, who face Harare City on Saturday, have also added an interesting twist to the title race as they still have a mathematical chance of being crowned champions.
The Green Machine, in third place with 49 points, will come into the picture in the event that the log leaders draw on Saturday and they win their next two matches against Harare City and ZPC Kariba with huge margins and Dynamos get beaten by How Mine.
That scenario will see Caps United lifting the coveted trophy on goal difference as they can finish the campaign with 55 points — the same as Dynamos.
On the last day of the 2013 season, Caps held Harare City to a 2-2 draw at the NSS in a game that City needed to win to claim their maiden league title, while Dynamos coasted to an easy 2-0 win over Black Mambas to take the honours.
Caps might be the kingmakers again this season if they avoid a loss to ZPC on the last day, while Dynamos beat or draw against How Mine, all depending on this Saturday’s result.
FIXTURES
SATURDAY: ZPC Kariba v Dynamos (National Sports Stadium, SS), Chicken Inn v Buffaloes (Hartsfield ); SUNDAY: Caps United v Harare City (National Sports Stadium, SS), Shabanie Mine v Highlanders (Maglas), Bantu Rovers v How Mine (Hartsfield), Hwange v FC Platinum (Colliery), Chiredzi v Triangle United (Chishamiso), Chapungu v Black Rhinos (Ascot ) SUSPENDED PLAYERS MATCH DAY 29: Victor Bangira (Chapungu), James Jam, Munyaradzi Diro-Nyenye (Harare City), Liberty Chakoroma, Lloyd Katongomara (Buffaloes), Hardlife Zvirekwi (Caps United), Munyaradzi Mungadze, Takabva Mawaya, Gilbert Zulu (Hwange), Hardlife Mawundi (Triangle), Marvellous Dikinya (Shabanie Mine), Milton Kurewa (Black Rhinos), Brian Mbiriri (Chicken Inn), Wisdom Mutasa (FC Platinum), Tawanda Mpungu (Chiredzi)