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Ray Bande in RUSAPE
Mutare City Rovers . . . . . . . . (0) 0
Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1
STRUGGLING Harare giants Dynamos could be forgiven for wildly celebrating what should have been an ordinary win for them when they beat basement outfit Mutare City Rovers by a solitary goal in an entertaining Castle Lager Premiership soccer match at Vengere yesterday.

After the final whistle, Dynamos players, technical department and supporters were in a state of delirium as if they had clinched the league title as the Harare side finally remembered how it feels to win a match, thanks to Tawanda Macheke’s priceless second-half strike.

Dynamos have been a pale shadow of the might Glamour Boys they have always been in the domestic top-flight league and came to this encounter against Mutare City Rovers smarting from a heavy 3-0 defeat at the hands of Triangle.
And interim Dynamos gaffer Lloyd Chigowe said yesterday’s win was a relief for the struggling Harare giants.

“We are relieved after the win as we were coming from a 3-0 defeat against Triangle but we have repaid our fans with a win. We created more chances than opposition today but they lost concentration at the end of the match and we scored,’’ the Mbare-born Chigowe said after the match.

Yesterday’s match, which was played before a packed Vengere with both teams under the tutelage of caretaker coaches, started with both teams exchanging raids although the visitors somehow had an upper-hand and could have easily found the target with a little bit more precision in front of goal.

Cleopas Kapupurika alongside Valentine Kadonzvo were guilty of fluffing clear-cut scoring chances and the former disappointed the Dynamos faithful in the 16th minute after he directed his weak effort wide off the target following a goalmouth melee.

A minute later, the visitors were back to torment their opponents with Kadonzvo getting to the end of a tantalising cross from Kapupurika but Kadonzvo’s effort was parried to safety by the outstanding Mutare City Rovers goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube.

Quality Kangaidze could have propelled Dynamos into the lead in the 40th minute when he received a neat pass from Kapupurika but ballooned his effort over the bar.

Both Mutare City Rovers and Dynamos came back after the breather determined to take the game to their opponents with former Dynamos player Washington Pakamisa setting up Brian Chinhoyi who shot wide from a close range in the 53rd minute.

City Rovers interim gaffer Ndenga Matsika made a substitution in the 57th minute, bringing on Rusape born Evans Chikwakwai for the out-of-form Marlven Moyo.

The introduction of Chikwaikwai, who kept entertaining the crowd with his trademark long throw-ins reminiscent of yesteryear star Masimba Dinyero, endeared the hosts with local supporters who identify with the 2008 Soccer Star of Year.

However, Dynamos’ prayers were answered in the 82nd minute when second half substitute Macheke thrust them into the lead after taking advantage of a lapse in concentration by the home side’s defence and tapped the ball home from close range.

Mutare City Rovers interim gaffer Matsika was not happy with the defeat and said they were going back to the drawing board.
“We lost focus at the end of the match and we conceded a late goal, but otherwise we played well and now we are going to the drawing board. l think today we needed just a point but unfortunately we could not get it,’’ he said.

Teams
Mutare City Rovers: T Dube; P Gumbo; G Jimu; W Mafa; L Mangayira; T Jeffereys; W Pakamisa; M Moyo (E Chikwaikwai 57th minute); K Njovo; B Chinhoyi; D Mangesi:
Dynamos: S Chinani; P Dube; R Matova; M Machazane; G Mukambi; B Moyo; G Saunyama; V Kadonvzo (P Mutasa 80th minute); C Kapupurika; Q Kangadzi (T Macheke, 63 minutes); K Kumwala: