DEMBARE HUMBLED

Sport
CHICKEN Inn began their title defence with a mauling of 10-man Dynamos in an exciting Castle Lager Premier Soccer League encounter at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.

CHICKEN INN . . . . . . . . ..(0) 3 DYNAMOS . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 0

CHICKEN Inn began their title defence with a mauling of 10-man Dynamos in an exciting Castle Lager Premier Soccer League encounter at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday.

BY FORTUNE MBELE

Dynamos-capatin-Tawanda-Muparati-(second-from-left)is-mobbed-by-his-colleagues-after-scoring-the-first-of-Dynamos-3-goals-at-Rufaro-stadium-yesterday

Obadiah Tarumbwa notched a brace inside two minutes in the 61st and 62nd minute after a goalless first half, while Tafadzwa Kutinyu killed off the match in the 74th minute with a beauty inside the penalty box from a Clemence Matawu cross.

Dynamos finished the game one man short after Richard Kawondera was red-carded by referee Thomas Masaa for a second bookable offence in the 60th minute for blasting the ball into an empty net, while Chicken Inn medics were attending to injured goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze.

Kawondera was already sitting on a yellow card, which he received in the 29th minute for an infringement on Chicken Inn left back Devine Lunga.

The numerical disadvantage dealt Dynamos a heavy blow as they could not contain the GameCocks and conceded immediately after the send off.

Chicken Inn played like real champions, recreating a repeat of their first fixture against DeMbare last year when they clobbered the Glamour Boys by the same score-line at Rufaro Stadium in May.

Disappointed Dynamos fans at the Mpilo End started trickling out of the stadium just after Kutinyu’s goal. Dynamos coach Jorge Paulo Silva conceded defeat and said Chicken Inn were too strong for his side, especially in the second half after the red card.

“My players gave everything in the first half, but Chicken Inn was better in the second half. I tried to put a solid defence in the second half, but Chicken Inn is just a strong team,” Silva said.

Dynamos had started the game well in the first half, playing a passing game, with skipper Stephen Alimenda and Walter Mukanga controlling the midfield, but they were not good in the final third where they had Roderick Mutuma and the out-of-form Kawondera.

After Kawondera was shown the red card, the substitution of Alimenda and Mukanga for Tichaona Chipunza and Dominic Mukandi did not work for Dynamos as they continued to play second fiddle to Chicken Inn.

Three minutes before the break, Dynamos appealed for a penalty that saw Silva being involved in a near scuffle, with a SuperSport television crew. He was demanding to watch a replay after Chicken Inn defender Lawrence Mhlanga appeared to have handled the ball while defending a Mukanga shot inside the box.

Silva had to be restrained by fourth official Mlindeli Ndebele and Dynamos’ technical staff members on the bench. Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas, in his trademark black glasses, was elated by the victory.

“Brilliant stuff from us, three goals and we did not concede. We hung off the ball in the first half and played with caution and it did work for us. We played them high in the second half and it worked. Credit to my boys for brilliant second half display,” Antipas said.

Meanwhile, ZPC Kariba got off to a flying start in the 2016 Premier Soccer League season after beating newcomers Border Strikers 2-0 at Nyamhunga Stadium yesterday.

Goals by returning striker Tinei Chitora in the 20th minute and former CAPS United player Godknows Mangani in the 63rd minute were enough to hand the Sunday Chidzambwa-coached side the much-needed victory in their opening match.