HARARE giants Dynamos have swiftly shifted their focus from Sunday’s chaotic, abandoned match against Hardrock to tomorrow’s crucial Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash against an unbeaten Ngezi Platinum Stars at Rufaro Stadium.
The Glamour Boys’ previous assignment at Chahwanda Stadium ended prematurely late in the second half when crowd violence reared its ugly head, causing serious injuries to dozens of fans and significant damage to property.
The abandonment was triggered after Hardrock was awarded a contentious penalty to equalise, cancelling out a first-half opener from Dynamos’ Ghanaian forward, Frank Agyemang.
It was a frustrating anti-climax for DeMbare, who had been looking to build on their impressive 3-0 victory over Triangle United the previous week.
Now, a massive test awaits them at Rufaro.
Dynamos face a formidable Ngezi Platinum Stars side that has gone 14 matches without tasting defeat this season.
Keep Reading
- Panashe Mutasa comes of age at Tenax FC
- Dynamos back to winning ways
- Ndiraya backs Antonio to impress in Belgium
- Artists struggling to grasp intellectual property rights
Madamburo currently sit third on the league standings with 26 points — just two behind log leaders Caps United — having registered six wins and eight draws.
In contrast, DeMbare are in sixth place with 21 points, albeit with a game in hand following last weekend’s aborted fixture.
History also favours the visitors; remarkably, Dynamos have not beaten Ngezi Platinum Stars in the league since October 2023, a four-match barren run that has seen Ngezi win twice, while the other two encounters ended in stalemates.
Despite the looming threat and the psychological baggage from Sunday’s marred fixture, Dynamos coach Genesis Mangombe is choosing to look forward, drawing confidence from his team's recent intensity.
“We are doing so well. After that intensity from that game (against Hardrock), I think we have somewhere to start and to carry on,” Mangombe said ahead of the big match.
“So we are just working on our final selection, maybe today, so that those who are in the final squad will come tomorrow for camping.”
Mangombe received a significant boost with the return of defender Colin Mujuru, though the squad is still managing a few notable absences in midfield and attack.
“Overall, I’m happy with the response from the guys who were on injury, especially Colin Mujuru, who is now also training with the team.
“But we also have some few guys who are also absent. Jairos Kasondo and Perfect Chikwende, we are going to miss them in this game.
“Yeah, they all have muscle injuries and Perfect has got a hamstring injury, which we are trying also to see if the medical doctors will allow him to train today.
“But I’m happy that we have a wider selection and we can also opt for other players in their positions.”
With the unbeaten league heavyweights arriving in the capital, Mangombe emphasised the need for tactical discipline, minimising errors and maintaining the sharp form his frontline has shown of late.
“We have to take this game very seriously and also we are going to look at the way we are playing and also try to make sure that we don’t repeat some few mistakes, which caused us to draw some of the matches and at the end of the day losing some of the games,” the DeMbare gaffer added.
“We are now doing our best in terms of scoring and I think if we can also try and get goals in this game, at the end of the day our defence is now becoming a unit and we are making sure that we are not conceding anymore.”