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HEROES’ WELCOME . . . Victorious Triangle players and their technical staff are greeted by delirious supporters after arriving home yesterday following their win in the NetOne One-Wallet Cup final on Sunday

Oscar Rusenga in TRIANGLE
THE town of Triangle has been partying since the local football team won the NetOne OneWallet Cup on Sunday, and yesterday the architects of that triumph arrived to a heroes’ welcome.
After more than eight hours of travelling over a distance of 450kilometres from the capital, the Triangle team bus arrived here at around 5pm yesterday to be met by delirious fans happy that the team had written its Finest Hour in the game.

Ten-man Triangle beat favourites Dynamos 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after holding out to a 1-1 draw, in two hours of football, having played 50 minutes of that showdown one man short when Jimmy Dzingayi was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Triangle won all their games, from the first round to the final, via the penalty shoot-out lottery after all their games ended in stalemates, scoring only two goals in open play in the whole tournament, and showing their nerve when it came to the tie-breaker. Young midfielder Hilary Bakacheza, playing on the flank, was outstanding for the Sugar Sugar Boys, with a vintage performance that outshone everyone on the pitch, and was at the heart of the team’s sensational triumph.

Hillary is the son of Raphael Bakacheza, a footballer who made his name in Division One football, playing for teams like Falcon Gold and ZimAlloys in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
Raphael was one of the most talented footballers who never made it into the Premiership as he was more comfortable playing for mining teams which provided him with the job security that he did not see in top-flight teams.

Dynamos were odds on favourite going into the Cup final against Triangle but the Lowveld side produced a gutsy performance and were full value for their victory.
The Lowveld side scored all their four penalties and did not need to take the last one as DeMbare captain — Thomas Magorimbo — drove his effort wide after Tafadzwa Rusike, who was lively throughout the entire match, missed Dynamos’ fourth spot kick.

The win for Triangle means they have proven the bookmakers wrong after they were given very little chances of winning against the Glamour Boys.
Thousands of Triangle residents gathered at Rufaro Hall here to welcome their heroes. The Triangle United Football Club supporters committee had organised to meet the team bus some 30 kilometres away from the Lowveld town and a huge convoy ushered the team into the town.

When the players arrived at Rufaro Hall, there were hundreds fans who had been waiting to see their heroes returning with the Cup.
It was a special moment for the Lowveld residents as this has never happened in a small sugarcane growing town.

The team’s supporters chairman Misheck Muyambo spoke on behalf of the fans and could not hide his joy.
“The whole community is grateful and I could tell when we watched on TV that we were going to win, there was a huge roar that reverberated in the town when the final whistle was blown because we had won and the Cup was ours.

“Everyone had a belief that we would win and we are now proud champions and we hope to carry the form and confidence into our league games so we can finish in the top eight and try to defend it (trophy) next year,” said Muyambo.

Former Triangle chairman Matuvenga Mugazambi was also happy with the team’s achievement.
“I am very happy, when I was the chairman we had a vision for great things and this is a dream come true. This has also united the community because I have never seen the people of Triangle in unison like what I have witnessed today,” said Mugazambi.

In winning the Cup, Triangle also pocketed a cool $80 000 and the club leadership promised that the players will get their fair share of the amount.
Club secretary Abraham Chinemaringa and treasurer Edward Banda said the players and their technical team needed to be rewarded.

“We told them to go and play for themselves, for the medal, for us and for the fans and they did just that and I think they have exceeded expectations and deserve their rewards,” said Chinemaringa.

Edward Marecha, a former Triangle player, who represented the club for 16 years from 1986 to 2002, was also there to receive the triumphant team.
“I am very happy today. I played for so many years without this glory and I feel that they have won this for me and my advice to the players is to keep on working hard, forget about the ‘champions’ tag and try to grind results in the remaining league games to avoid the chop and finish in a respectable position,” said Marecha.