Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira at Barbourfields Stadium
DYNAMOS walked away from Barbourfields Stadium yesterday with a point, but deep down they knew it should have been three.
The 1-1 draw against Highlanders did little to ease their relegation worries and left the Harare giants still hovering dangerously close to the drop zone, a position that feels both strange and sobering for a club of their stature.
Dynamos began strongly, dominating early possession and pinning Highlanders back. They looked sharper and hungrier, and for the first 10 minutes, the hosts barely got out of their own half. But when Bosso finally broke through, it was Dynamos who were caught napping.
A well-drilled set piece in the 17th minute undid them, Andrew Mbeba curled in a teasing free kick, and Brian Mlotshwa met it with a calm finish that sent Barbourfields into rapture.
The goal knocked the wind out of DeMbare’s early rhythm. For a while, Highlanders dictated play and looked set to double their lead. But against the run of play, Dynamos found a lifeline in the 37th minute when Jairos Kasondo’s long range strike took a heavy deflection off Melikhaya Ncube to wrong foot Ariel Sibanda.
That equaliser should have been the turning point. It gave Dynamos belief, but once again, their biggest undoing was wastefulness in front of goal.
Kasondo almost grabbed a brace after stealing the ball inside the box, only for Sibanda to make a reflex save. Enasio Perezo and Temptation Chiwunga later combined neatly, but their shot hit the side netting.
The lack of a clinical finish summed up Dynamos’ season, so near, yet never quite enough.
After the match, coach Kaunda Kaindu cut a reflective figure. His words carried both frustration and realism about the team’s current plight.
“I was telling myself this is how it feels to be in the other dressing room. We didn’t defend well, and in games like these we should do better. In the second half, we played how we wanted to play and exchanged passes. We just hope we stay unbeaten. It’s unfortunate that the two teams are fighting relegation. These are the two teams that should be fighting for the championship. The fans came in their numbers and supported their teams,” said Kaindu.
For Kaindu, the return to Barbourfields as an opponent was personal, but for Dynamos, the bigger story is survival. The Glamour Boys remain a point above the relegation zone, with three matches left to rescue their season.
They showed flashes of their old fluency but lacked the killer instinct that once made them feared across the league.
A win on Sunday could have lifted them out of danger and injected belief into their run-in. Instead, they left Bulawayo with a result that felt more like a missed opportunity than progress.
As the clock winds down on the season, Dynamos know draws will no longer be enough. It’s wins, or the unthinkable.
Teams:
Highlanders: Ariel Sibanda (gk), Arthur Ndlovu, Brian Mlotshwa, Melikhaya Ncube, Marvin Sibanda (Tendai Muvuti, 80’), Andrew Mbeba, Mason Mushore (Darlington Munkuli, 68’), Never Rauzhi (Reason Sibanda, 68’), Luckmore Mutumbi, Benjamin Adeogun (Brighton Ncube, 80’), Atusaye Nyondo (Prince Ndlovu, 80’)
Dynamos: Prince Tafiremutsa (Tatenda Makoni, gk, 65’), Emmanuel Jalai, Abel Gwatidzo, Gumisai Mandivei, Issaka Mohammed, Tellmore Pio, Ross Ngwenya (Enasio Perezo, 61’), Shadreck Nyahwa, Wisdom Mtasa (Temptation Chiwunga, 46’), Jairos Kasondo (Frank Agyemang, 75’), Leeroy Mavunga (Denver Mukamba, 75’)
DeMbare is not a point above the relegation zone. It occupies the last of the four that will be relegated if things remain the way they are. If Bikita Minerals wins against Herentals today, DeMbare will find itself further down into murky waters of relegation, with only Kwekwe United and Yadah below it.