Sundaymail Editor
Langton Nyakwenda
OF course, this is September, and not May, but the venue of this traditional fixture is Vengere Stadium.
Black Rhinos hope to invoke the spirit of Vengere when they host bogey side Dynamos at the Rusape venue this afternoon.
Interestingly, Black Rhinos have won only two league matches against Dynamos in the last 15 years, and both wins were registered during the month of May.
So dominant are DeMbare over Chauya Chipembere that the last time the army side won a league match against the Harare giants was on May 18, 2017.
Before that, their previous league win had come on May 20, 2007.
However, the army side believe the latest fixture could be their chance to end DeMbare’s dominance.
They are banking on the good run they have had at their fortress, Vengere Stadium, where they are unbeaten since July 2, when they switched from Sakubva.
A number of coaches, however, have condemned the pitch.
Teams such as Herentals, Cranborne Bullets and Chicken Inn left this formidable fortress empty-handed.
“The good thing is we have been doing so well at Vengere, so, in a way, we could have an edge over our opponents,” Black Rhinos coach Stanford “Stix” Mtizwa told The Sunday Mail Sport.
“But, you never know with football, anything can happen. We need to fight to the final whistle, and the players have to put in maximum effort.”
Mtizwa currently has a spring in his step after he was named Castle Lager Premier Soccer League coach of the month for August.
The legendary Mtizwa, who has managed seven points out of a possible 12 since taking over from Herbert Maruwa in July, is not in the mood to have his party spoiled by bogey side DeMbare.
“Dynamos have always dominated us. They beat us the first time we met this season, and, if you remember, they also knocked us out of the Chibuku Super Cup last season.
“So, we want to make amends.
“We are hoping this time around, especially with the way we are playing, we will be able to get a rare win against Dynamos,” declared Mtizwa.
Black Rhinos lost 1-2 in the reverse fixture at the National Sports Stadium on April 3, and were also knocked out of the 2021 Chibuku Super Cup by the Glamour Boys.
Rhinos also face a buoyant Dynamos side that is unbeaten in their last six matches.
DeMbare have not lost a match since the 0-1 loss against Cranborne Bullets on July 9.
That match was Dynamos’ 50th league match and it was coincidentally played at Vengere, the venue of today’s clash against Black Rhinos.
Dynamos needed two late goals to finally dispatch a stubborn Rhinos outfit at the same venue on August 14, and Mtizwa is aware of DeMbare’s struggles at Vengere.
“That aside, we are not a bad side,” reckons Mtizwa, whose side is targeting a top-six finish.
“I am optimistic …
“If you look at the way we lost against Bulawayo Chiefs, we were dominant and the opponent had the keeper to thank for the win.”
Black Rhinos have 38 points and were three points behind Highlanders, who occupied fourth position after Week 26.
While Rhinos are aiming to finish in a respectable position, Dynamos are going all-out for the league championship, which has eluded them since 2014.
The Harare giants have 49 points and were six points adrift of leaders FC Platinum heading into this round of fixtures.
They have done exceptionally well under Tonderai Ndiraya this term.
They were fighting relegation at this stage in 2019, but today they find themselves with a realistic chance of wresting the title from FC Platinum.
DeMbare scored 28 goals in 2019, a tally they have already surpassed by one goal with eight games to go before the conclusion of the 2021/2022 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
“What we need at the moment are results. They have been coming but every game is a new challenge.
“We are facing a Black Rhinos that can pose a serious threat to what we want to achieve as a team, but in the end, it’s all about mental strength.
“Of course, it’s also physical,” Ndiraya said.
The gaffer is not reading much into DeMbare’s historical dominance over Chauya Chipembere.
“We know Black Rhinos have been doing well in their past games. Of course, they didn’t do quite well in their latest match (against Bulawayo Chiefs), so we want to try and take advantage of that,” he said.
“But, we understand that this is going to be a tough match because we will be playing at Vengere Stadium, and we all know what Vengere is like.
“It’s not a very pleasing venue to be playing football, so we have that in our minds … We got a good result against Tenax in those difficult conditions.”
Dynamos have to contend with red-hot Black Rhinos’ Congolese striker Eli Ilunga, who has scored nine goals, two more than their own Ghanaian Emmanuel Paga.
Paga could now be the leading light at Dynamos following the departure of Bill Antonio, while Ilunga has been the mainstay of the army side.
Apart from Paga, Dynamos also have another match-winner in Ralph Kawondera, while Rhinos can also bank on skipper Farai Banda, whose forays on the left channel are usually dangerous.
Central midfielder Ashward Phiri and defender Gareth Madhake are the other key players Black Rhinos can bank on.
Fixtures
Highlanders v Triangle (Barbourfields), CAPS United v Tenax (National Sports Stadium), Black Rhinos v Dynamos (Vengere)
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