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The Glamour Boys, who conceded three second half goals at the October 15 Stadium, now need a miracle to remain alive in the competition.
Dynamos paid a huge price for their defensive and negative approach and now have to move mountains, in the second leg, to pull through to the second round of the continent’s premier inter-club competition.
Somehow, having concentrated on defending set-pieces for the better part of the week, DeMbare were found wanting trying to do just that and all the goals were from dead balls.
Unlike last year, when DeMbare cried foul after a 0-6 pounding at the hands of Esperance, the Zimbabwe champions have no one but themselves to blame for this defeat, against a team that never showed any superior qualities when compared to them.
Sudanese referee, Alfadil Hussein, deserves special mention for the professional manner in which he handled the game.
Midfielder Harran Ahmed scored from the penalty spot after Devon Chafa had handled inside the box and two other goals by defenders Ali Machani and Fakherddine Jaziri resulted from DeMbare’s failure to deal with corner kicks.
Dynamos did not apply themselves fully to their defensive duties and Bizertin, who also appeared blunt upfront, appeared to have noticed the visitors’ handicap and changed their approach after the break.
They began to pump long balls upfront and getting the free-kicks and corners that created anxious moments in the Dynamos territory.
The huge defeat means Dynamos will now need to score at least four clear goals, without reply, against the Tunisians at Rufaro on March 31, which appears a very difficult task given they have a depleted squad.
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It was going to be easier if they had got an away goal and it is now the Tunisians who carry the advantage and can afford to come here and park the bus and fancy their chances.
Somehow DeMbare did not create any clear-cut opportunities, for the bigger part of the game, with big striker Francisco Zekumbawira starved of action as he cut a lonely figure upfront.
Despite the big defeat, Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa said he still remained confident that his team can turn it all around when they play at home.
“They are not a very difficult team to play against and they were actually leaving a lot of gaps at the back and if we are to be offensive in the return leg, we can utilise that space and punish them,” Pasuwa said.
The DeMbare coach said that had he been afforded the opportunity to watch Bizertin in action before the tie, he could have planned his approach differently.
One of the key things he would have known, said Pasuwa, was that the Tunisians were not as good as they thought and he would have gone for an offensive, rather than defensive approach.
After a heroic first half defensive performance, Dynamos went to sleep after the break and, at this level of the game, you are punished badly for that.
DeMbare’s woes began five minutes before half-time when the hosts switched Senegalese dangerman, Youssouph Mbengue, from the wing, where he had been marked out of the game by Morris Kadzola, into a central position where Stephen Alimenda was fighting a lone battle.
DeMbare didn’t respond to that crucial tactical change and they kept playing their normal shape, even when it became clear that danger now loomed from the central channel.
Why Dynamos chose to remain in their shell, instead of taking the game to their hosts, who appeared shaky at the back, we might never know what hit them but one gets a feeling that the Glamour Boys froze on the big occasion.
CA Bizertin goalkeeper Ben Mustapha Farouk became a mere spectator.
DeMbare had progressed from the preliminary round courtesy of a 3-1 aggregate victory over Lesotho Correctional Services.
The Harare side have often struggled against North Africa opponents and it is now apparent that they will not find it easy against CA Bizertin in the return leg.
The Tunisians, who appointed a new coach last week, were not bullish about their chances against Dynamos and the man in charge of the team, Mondhier Kbaeir, said they were looking forward to the return leg.
“We have done the first half of the mission very well and there is another game.
“We must go back and be ready for the next game to make sure we qualify for the next round when we play Dynamos in Harare.
“It’s another game and we must concentrate and be able to win the game,” said Kbaier.
Online Reporter