DYNAMOS . . . . . . . (0) 0 CHICKEN INN . . . . (1) 1 IT never rains but pours for Dynamos coach Paulo Jorge Silva after he watched his team put up a tepid display to lose by a solitary Mitchell Katsvairo first half injury-time strike in an Independence Cup semi-final tie at Rufaro yesterday.
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
The latest setback was painful to stomach for the Portuguese coach, to the extent that he refused to talk to the Press as he took the long walk to the dressing room.
His intended lap of honour for the fans had hit a brickwall.
This is the second time Dynamos have lost to the Bulawayo-based side in a space of three weeks after a 3-0 defeat at Barbourfields on the first day of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer league
“I have read the manual my friend, I have talked to the television guys and I can’t talk anymore,” a visibly cross Silva said as he disappeared into the tunnel.
After getting rid of goalkeeper’s coach Gift Muzadzi for allegedly fuelling disunity in the Dynamos camp, Silva was hoping to earn his first victory in a competitive match, but a fixture against the reigning league champions is never a fair draw.
Joey Antipas’ GameCocks are always sure to put an effective performance against the Harare giants, even when they are playing below their normal level.
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Right at the end of the first half, they created their first chance of the game.
Former soccer star of the year Clemence Matawu spotted Katsvairo’s run and put a through ball over the top, which the Chicken Inn marksman dinked over Dynamos goalie Tatenda Mukuruva.
“It was a difficult game, a tense affair being a semi-final. I thought we did not play our normal game because we struggled a bit in the first half, but the goal came at the right time. We picked up the pieces in the second half,” Antipas said after the match.
“We came up with a solid defensive display and we give credit to the boys for putting up a good display. Dynamos, more or less, played themselves into our hands, employing the long balls and winning practically every ball they played, but it’s a good victory.
“It’s good to be in the final and we just have to fight for it. We need to put up a much better display. It would be good winning silverware, our first of the season and for us, silverware is silverware and we will fight for it.”
Dynamos, who were slightly better in performance than they were in the nil-all draw against Triangle last week, dominated the first half, but were found wanting at crucial moments.
The Glamour Boys had the first sniff at goal after 21 minutes, when Roderick Mutuma tested Elvis Chipezeze with a lovely turn-and-shoot effort from outside the box.
A few minutes later, Mutuma broke free following an exchange of passes with the impressive Valentine Ndaba, but he miscued his shot for a throw-in.
Chipezeze, the busier of the goalkeepers, had to be at his acrobatic best to tip over Farai Mupasiri’s goal-bound effort six minutes before the break.
With the match seemingly headed for a half-time stalemate, Chicken Inn raided Mutuma — who was playing to the gallery — and went on for a quick counter-attack, which Katsvairo buried following a Matawu cross.
After the goal, the GameCocks were a much better side in the second half and could have extended the lead when Obadiah Tarumbwa outpaced the DeMbare defence, but Mukuruva dived to his right to save the striker’s low shot.
DeMbare’s best chance fell to substitute Walter Mukanga minutes after coming on, but he failed to beat Chipezeze in a one-on-one situation after being fed by Mupasiri.
In injury time, another substitute, Ismael Lawe, almost piled misery on Dynamos, but he fired wide from point-blank range.
Dynamos manager Richard Chihoro spoke to the media in place of Silva.
“Today, we played well in the first half, we created a lot of chances, but we couldn’t bury them. In the second half after 15 minutes, our players were tired. So we were a little bit down. Everything is okay in our team at the present moment and I can assure you that from our next league game in Mutare, we are going to win,” he said.
Teams: Dynamos: T Mukuruva, O Mwerahari, S Linyama, E Muroiwa (K Bulaji), O Mushure, T Chipunza, G Murwira, D Mukandi (W Mukanga), F Mupasiri (K Nasama), V Ndaba, R Mutuma Chicken Inn: E Chipezeze, D Lunga, B Passmore, L Mhlanga, M Jackson, B Juru, P Tafirenyika, M Katsvairo (I Lawe), C Matawu, E Chirambadare (T Goredema), O Tarumbwa
