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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) 3

ZPC Kariba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1

DONALD MUDADI was simply unplayable yesterday as holders Dynamos kicked off their defence of the Chibuku Super Cup title with a dominant display that powered them into the quarter-final at Rufaro yesterday.

Dynamos seem to have found their mojo following the elevation of veteran coach Lloyd “MaBlanyo’’ Chigowe to take charge of the Harare giants.

ZPC Kariba became the latest victim of a rejuvenated DeMbare as the electricity men left Rufaro, a well-beaten outfit.

And the star of the five-star Dynamos show was Mudadi.

The midfielder was involved in all three goals that came the hosts’ way.

Mudadi ensured an early settling of nerves for Dynamos when he scored in the 14th minute to break the ice.

The 2023 Soccer Stars finalist was not finished.

He returned to switch off ZPC Kariba twice when setting Ghanian forward Emmanuel Paga and Nomore Chinyerere on either side of the half-time break.

For the duration that he was on the pitch, before limping off with signs of exhaustion in the 76th minute, Mudadi provided both hope and entertainment to the DeMbare faithful, who had watched their side crumbling in mediocrity for most of this season.

To underline how low Dynamos had sunk, yesterday’s result was the biggest winning margin they have scored in all competitions in 2024.

The only time Dynamos had won with a 3-0 scoreline was via the boardroom when the Premier Soccer League’s disciplinary committee awarded them the points for their abandoned match against Chegutu Pirates.

With Warriors fringe player Mudadi pulling the strings for them yesterday, Dynamos was unstoppable.

Nyasha Gurende pulled one back for ZPC Kariba from a choreographed free-kick four minutes from time but the goal arrived too late to spark any hopes of a dramatic comeback by the visitors.

And, it was another good day in the office for DeMbare, who are working their way up again under Chigowe.

A purring Chigowe revealed his pleasure at watching his midfielder’s animated form after Mudadi recovered from a series of injuries that blighted the earlier part of his season.

“Since last week, Donald Mudadi has been showing signs of coming back to his real form and I think today he was live and spot on,’’ said Chigowe.

Mudadi put DeMbare ahead with a brilliant long-range strike that goalkeeper Future Sibanda could not match after he was deceived by a half-hearted clearance by his defenders from a free-kick.

Playing with renewed confidence and sense of pride that has been the hallmark of this Dynamos side of late, the midfielder was rewarded for his adventurous spirit when he hit the ball hard from approximately 35 yards after it had ricochetted off the wall from a tame free-kick by Paga.

Mudadi turned provider in the 20th minute when he raced all the distance from the centre circle and set up Paga inside the box for an easy finish after beating an offside trap.

DeMbare could have extended their lead shortly before the half-time break when Valentine Kadonzvo burst into the box with an excellent show of skill but his low cross rolled across the face of goal with no takers.

However, the Glamour Boys still managed to get the third goal just moments after the breather courtesy of Chinyerere.

Mudadi was again the man behind the assist after threading a neat pass behind the ZPC Kariba defence line to the wide left flank from the centre circle.

Chinyerere reacted by sprinting into the box and placing the ball beyond the reach of the advancing goalkeeper.

Chigowe then had the luxury of introducing highly-rated teenage forward Vusa Ngwenya, who did not disappoint with glimpses of rich promise.

Despite this being the first time this season that DeMbare have scored three goals in one match, their coach Chigowe was not entirely won over by the team’s performance.

“I’m pleased with the result but not the overall performance,’’ he said.

“We had lapses in concentration and I think over-confidence, which does not bode well for future assignments.

“Otherwise, it’s good that we are through to the next round.”

ZPC Kariba’s Samuel Makawa watched with dismay as his shot sailed wide at the back post midway through the second half following a defensive lapse in the DeMbare box. But Gurende reduced the arrears with four minutes of regulation time remaining.

DeMbare were fooled by the rehearsed movements behind the dead ball by the ZPC Kariba players before Gurende curled it wide of the goalkeeper and into the top corner. ZPC Kariba coach Newton Chitewe felt his team lost it when they allowed DeMbare to score twice inside the opening 20 minutes.

Although pleased by introducing teenage midfielders Genius Hute and Ian Sabelo, Chitewe was also not amused by the missed chances by his team.

“I think we did not play very well in the first half. We did let Dynamos play and as a result, conceded two goals in the early minutes.

“We made some defensive blunders but we had a good second half. I think the introduction of our youngsters helped us to attack more.

“We had more scoring chances but we could not convert,” said Chitewe.

Teams:

Dynamos: Prince Tafiremutsa, Nomore Chinyerere, Tendaishe Magwaza, Frank Makarati, Donald Mudadi (E. Ilunga, 76th min), Temptation Chiunga, Shadreck Nyahwa, Emmanuel Paga (I. Sadiki, 76th min), Alexander Mandinyenya (E. Ziocha, 63rd min), Valentine Kadonzvo (E. Moyo, 46th min),

ZPC Kariba: Future Sibanda, Nigel Kupara (T. Chidhobha, 76th min), Marshall Gavaza, Nyasha Gurende, Kuzivaishe Madima, Collen Muleya, Bornface Zuberi (G. Hute, 60th min), Fanwell Shoko, Samuel Makawa (T. Makarioe, 76th min), Ashwin Karengesha (S. Ngala, 53rd min), Alois Gwanzura (I. Sibelo 60th min)