Zimpapers Logo

Sharuko on Saturday
WHEN the jinx was finally broken, seven years after Nyasha Mushekwi’s destructive double strike, 2 576 days after Oscar Machapa’s stunning wing wizardry and about 368 weeks after the humiliation of Sam Mutenheri, which ignited his flight into early retirement, there were tears at Rufaro.

Tears of boundless joy among CAPS United fans.

Men and women who had borne the brunt of the pain of that miserable run, had been mercilessly taunted and, for more than half-a-dozen years, lived through that horror when the mere mention of the Harare Derby was a painful reminder of their regular whippings at the hands of their biggest rivals.

Even Lloyd Chitembwe briefly turned himself into a clone of Alick Macheso, bursting into an impromptu dance in front of the stand housing a delirious army of his adoring fans, soaking the adulation as the crowd feted him like a king, as the chemistry between the coach and his supporters bonded them into that merry band which, like the one on the Titanic, played on and on.

The only difference was this was a story with a happy ending.

For the Green Machine, this was their finest hour — in the past seven years — a priceless victory that carried its weight in goal, a golden win their hearts had craved for in more than half-a-dozen years, one that meant so much to them as a family and one that, until now, had eluded them despite the best of their spirited efforts.

Tears of pain among the Dynamos fans.

Men and women who had been spoiled by the joy of that miraculous run, had enjoyed their conquest and, for more than half-a-dozen years, lived through that dream when the mere mention of the Harare Derby was a wonderful reminder of their supremacy over their biggest city rivals.

Even Paulo Jorge Silva briefly turned himself into a clone of Judas Iscariot, the man who suffered the humiliation of being the first Dynamos coach to lose the Harare Derby in seven years, his embarrassment completed by that late expulsion into the stands where — like a clown whose jokes had long lost their magic to thrill — his barking, from a distance, couldn’t inspire a dramatic comeback.

For the Glamour Boys, this was the hour they had dreaded, hoped, and even boasted, would never come, when their punching bag would finally swing and strike back and, when it happened, some of them could not stomach it and they rained plastic bottles onto the pitch in both protest and frustration as reality hit them hard and the pain started to create havoc in their nest of emotions.

The Harare Derby, which for seven years had been reduced into a match that would be won by Dynamos or, at worst, end in a draw for the Glamour Boys, on Sunday exploded into that fiery showdown we had known all those years — a brutal game where the two rivals took no prisoners — before DeMbare’s dominance started in 2009 and turned it into a one-team show.

And, for a change, the winning team wasn’t the one wearing the blue-and-white strip, the smiling fans were not the ones wearing the blue-and-white colours, but those in green-and-white, a single goal enough to end their misery, a prodigal son Dominic Chungwa or Archford Gutu, because for me the identity of the man who scored on Sunday still remains a mystery, providing the knockout blow.

Another prodigal son, Simba Nhivi, who had a flirtation with the ultimate enemy, providing the assist for the goal with a miskick from the edge of the area, the one they poached from the Glamour Boys, Gutu, playing a big part in the goal with a burst in midfield on the left channel, a cheeky body swerve creating the space for him to find Phineas Bhamusi into acres of space whose cross forced the corner from where CAPS United manufactured that goal.

Hardlife Zvirekwi swung it into the box, the ball was cleared to Nhivi lurking on the edge of the area, his miskick, a 2016 version of Ryan Giggs’ effort, deep into added time in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final at the Nou Camp between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, and where the Welshman’s effort had rolled into the path of Teddy Sheringham, who fired home the equaliser, Simba’s effort rolled into the path of Chungwa and Gutu and one of them drilled the ball home for the decisive goal on Sunday.

Just like in that 2009 UEFA Champions League final, when Bayern’s defensive troops raised their hands appealing for an off-side call, which never came, the Dynamos’ defensive charges also raised their hands on Sunday appealing for an off-side call that never materialised and, like Sheringham before them, Chungwa or Gutu laid the foundation for one of their team’s memorable days.

With that golden goal, if you give it to Chungwa, his sins of having committed the ultimate crime by abandoning the green grass of home to join the ultimate enemy, and even scoring a goal for them in the Glamour Boys’ search for the immortality that would have been brought by an unprecedented fifth straight league championship triumph, were understandably forgiven — buried under that wave of ecstasy — as the Green Machine, at long last, celebrated victory in the Harare Derby.

And, if you give it to Archie, then his sins of that nightclub brawl, would be forgiven.

FOR CHITEMBWE, JUST LIKE OTHER CAPS GREATS, THIS ISN’T JUST A GAME

The sight of Chitembwe dancing on the Rufaro pitch on Sunday was one to behold as this man, for long portrayed as a very cold, iron-fisted no-nonsense guy who rarely shows his emotions, who even spits at his opponents in the heat of the battle, suddenly showed us his human side and, in that wave of happiness, he couldn’t resist the urge to show us he could even dance like sungura ace Macheso.

That explosion of boundless joy, which could even send a hugely private and shy man like Chitembwe to dance in public, in front of strangers and without even caring whoever was capturing those images on their mobile phones or on their cameras, told the big story of what winning the Harare Derby means, that is if ever we wanted one.

Maybe, for a long time, CAPS United had lacked that intensity, which can only come from a man who had played in the Harare Derby in their colours, on their technical bench, a man who was part of those epic battles when Alois Bunjira’s glorious 1996 season was paralysed, for months, by that crunching tackle from Kaitano Tembo, a man who was in the thick of things when Stewart Murisa’s fierce left-footed drive brought a premature end to that stormy BP League Cup semi-final between the two giants that same year.

For is it a coincidence that the last time CAPS United had beaten Dynamos, in the Harare Derby on April 12, 2009, Chitembwe was the one who was barking instructions from the bench and, since then, the Green Machine had tried — without success — to bank on those who don’t know what it means to play for them in this Mother of All Battles and, year after year, they had failed to get it right?

Chitembwe, just like the other CAPS United legends, knows that the Harare Derby is not just an ordinary game, they know that there is more to this game than just the three points on offer, they know what it means to their fans, what it can bring in terms of confidence, on the occasions they win it, to the players and the feel-good factor it brings into the entire establishment.

That is why, in the week leading to the Harare Derby, he wasn’t in the mood to be selfish but, like a good tactician, he called for expert advice to help him where he thought he needed a helping hand and his decision to ask Kennedy Nagoli to come and work with his midfielders, and forwards, and fine-tune their transitional play, which we saw when they stole the ball from Rodreck Mutuma and broke forward in the decisive move that led to the corner kick, and goal, was a masterstroke.

Those who went to the CAPS United training sessions last week saw Alois Bunjira working tirelessly with the forwards, hammering into them the message that they should not be swallowed by the intensity of the battle, but to use the grand stage to make a name for themselves, telling them that their mental strength would be very important in this battle, and all this is because of Chitembwe, who allowed this to happen.

Murisa was also there in the thick of things, giving his input to the forwards, and Darlington Dodo, the Gunners coach was also there, providing his expert knowledge to the defensive lines, and that all these people were working on a single project, to help CAPS United to be in their best shape for this showdown, is because of Chitembwe, who chose not to be selfish.

He saw the bigger picture, which was to try and end this misery, he brought everyone together and made this a family affair, a Green Machine project that was more important than Lloyd Chitembwe, and he was rewarded handsomely with that priceless victory.

To me, that was what made the difference, a united Green Machine where anyone, who could add value to the team was welcome, taking on a fractured Dynamos where some people were seeing shadows, where Gift Muzadzi — for all that he has done for the Glamour Boys — was now being considered a saboteur and where the glory was just for one man and not the entire establishment.

And let’s give credit to Chitembwe for his foresight, to trust the experience of Method Mwanjali — for all the trauma that Yellow had endured in the days leading to the game and the inevitable taunting he was going to receive at the hands of the Dynamos fans who called him “mhondi” — to stabilise his midfield, a role he performed with distinction.

He stripped Mwanjali of the captaincy, to remind him that he was still the boss and the events outside that nightclub were not what he expected of his leader, but still he didn’t abandon him, like all good parents do, and threw him into battle with the challenge to redeem himself.

AND POOR SILVA WAS CONSUMED BY HIS FIRST HARARE DERBY BATTLE

In the euphoria that has followed CAPS United’s success at Rufaro, with the winner taking-it-all and the loser-standing-small, it’s understandable that — given the suffering that CAPS United had endured in the past seven years as they were pounded into submission by their biggest rivals — all the focus would be on the Green Machine.

No wonder they say football is a very cruel game, one that has no place for those who finish second, a brutal sport where only the winners are feted, and all the newspaper reviews were about the triumphant Chitembwe and his Green Machine, the light that was shining so brightly where there used to be a blanket of darkness and gloom, their dance in the summer sunshine and comforting headlines.

And poor Silva, the only time his name was mentioned, it was all about questions over his job.

Why was he still around, the media hounds baying for his blood asked, when the defeat meant that his employers’ demands that he picks nine out of nine possible points in the three matches against Mutare City Rovers, CAPS United and Hwange could not be met unless, of course, we had a strange and unprecedented scenario of the away points at the Colliery — like the away goals in a knockout tournament where there is a tie on aggregate — now counting double?

They called him all sorts of names, including ‘Dead Man Walking’, and at times, it was difficult not to feel sorry for him, the one who was never accepted by some of our football writers, the one they accused of being a fraudster-disguised-as-a-football coach who allegedly lied that he coached this and that team in a European adventure that could not be traced on Google, the talkative one they accused of lacking respect for the domestic Premiership by claiming, in his first wide-ranging live television interview on ZTV’s Game Plan, that he would win the title without blinking.

Yes, admittedly, Silva had committed the cardinal sin — becoming the first Dynamos coach to lose to CAPS United in a league match in seven years — but surely should they ignore the fact that this, for a number of sober analysts, was something that had been coming for some time now given that the gulf between the two teams had been narrowing of late?

Didn’t Dynamos fail to beat CAPS United in the two giants’ league matches last year, which both ended in 1-1 draws?

And when one considers that, in the first game, we had a Green Machine in financial, and administrative turmoil, whose players had boycotted their previous game against How Mine despite having travelled to Bulawayo then, and for them to then pick a point in the Harare Derby, in their sorry state, shouldn’t that have provided a huge statement?

After all, the same CAPS United team, getting suffocated by the chaos in their camp, conceded four goals in their very next match after that drawn Harare Derby, as they crashed to a 0-4 thrashing at the hands of Triangle in the Lowveld.

Isn’t it a fact that, in the last four Harare Derbies before the Sunday match, Dynamos had only won once, with the other three ending in draws and, didn’t that provide a graph that showed the gap between the two giants was probably closing and these were no longer the days when the Glamour Boys would roll over their opponents like in the hey days of that 3-0 thrashing — when the likes of Denver Mukamba were pulling the strings — in August 2012?

Didn’t Moses Chunga, a man whose views should be trusted given that he knows both sides of the divide having coached Dynamos and CAPS United, correctly call it, in the countdown to the Harare Derby on Sunday, that the Green Machine were likely to win the game because he believed they would reap the benefits of the tranquillity and order in their camp?

Yes, Dynamos have FOUR points from their first FOUR league games and, to some of their fans, and some of the football writers, this is unacceptable and the coach should take all the blame because they believe he is clueless, some even say he is a fraudster while others have said that he is a racist who believes that his African backroom staff — including his assistant coaches — either don’t know anything or they are specialists in sabotaging his work.

But is this the first time that the Glamour Boys find themselves with four points after the first four games, in recent years, and didn’t Callisto Pasuwa’s Class of 2013 pick the same number of points, in their first four league games — (1-1 against Black Mambas; 1-1 against Chicken Inn; 1-1 against Shabanie Mine and 1-1 against Highlanders) — and if that is a sign of a disaster then why did they end up as champions that year?

Didn’t the Glamour Boys Class of 2011 also start their league campaign with FIVE points from the first FIVE league games — a 0-1 loss to Kiglon, a 2-0 win over FC Platinum, a 0-2 defeat to Motor Action, a 0-0 draw against Hwange at Rufaro and a 0-0 draw against Highlanders — but they still recovered to go on and win the league championship that year?

So, against that background, why is it such a disaster this time around to the extent that a coach, who is new to the football played in this country, who is learning with each passing week that this league is not as easy as he thought, who never thought top-flight football would be played at such bumpy surfaces like Sakubva and on such a horrible surface like the one at Rufaro, be tried, charged and executed after just four league games?

For goodness sake, why should we ignore the good that he is doing, like that excellent first half performance by his team in the Harare Derby, when they turned on a show that was easy on the eye and full of life it should have been rewarded with a goal if the chances that his men created, had been taken, and if goalkeeper Jorum Muchambo had not come into this contest on a mission to redeem himself and, boy oh boy, he did exactly that with a blinding show?

Why can’t we credit this Portuguese fellow for bringing in a number of young players who could do well, with the right guidance and given the right environment, like Brett Amidu, a boy who turned himself into a man on that big stage, making a mockery of his young age and little frame with a grand performance on the grand stage, who could be a real big deal with time?

Yes, let’s criticise him for his questionable, if not foolish decision, to decide that Takesure Chinyama was excess baggage and not good enough, for somehow believing that Richard Kawondera was better than Chinyama and he could be the man whose goals could power Dynamos’ charge to a league championship but let’s also be fair to him because there are always two sides to every coin.

WHO REALLY SCORED IN THE HARARE DERBY ON SUNDAY?

Dominic Chungwa has been getting all the credit for being the man who scored the golden goal that ended the seven-year jinx on Sunday, but is he really the one who scrambled the ball home that afternoon?

Steve Vickers, in his live commentary of the Harare Derby, gave the goal to Chungwa and all the football writers, in their subsequent reports in the newspapers, said it was the big forward who drilled the ball home.

Chungwa’s celebrations, too, suggested that he felt that he was the one who had got the decisive touch.

But I have been going through the footage of that moment, over and over on my television, and thanks to the magic of the Explora decoder which gives you a lot of options to play around with what you see on TV, and I have to say that the decisive touch appeared to have come from Archford Gutu.

Yes, Chungwa had a touch but the killer blow, according to the footage that I have frozen, re-winded, watched, in minute detail, it’s Gutu who makes the final contact with his left foot and sends the ball spinning past ‘keeper Tatenda Mukuruva.

But, I guess, CAPS United fans don’t care who scored, even an own goal would have been acceptable to them, although — in the context of the Golden Boot — it’s important that we get the correct scorer and given that Mushekwi had built his legendary status as the last man to score, in a victory for the Green Machine in the Harare Derby, it’s crucial that we get the correct goal-scorer.

If you have the recording of that match, go over it, again and again, and you will probably see where I am coming from.

Come on Warriors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Khamaldinhoooooooooooooooooo!

Text Feedback – 0772545199

WhatsApp Messenger – 0772545199

Email – [email protected]

Skype – sharuko58

Chat with me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter @Chakariboy, interact with me on Viber or read my material in The Southern Times. The authoritative ZBC weekly television football magazine programme, Game Plan, is being refreshed and we off air for now