adminBut before accomplishing the important mission, the blue and white masses must have feared for the worst in the first half as the troubled home side threatened to spoil the party for the Harare giants with an inspired display which however could not be spiced up with a goal.
But like true champion material, the visitors went a gear up in the last half to silence Hwange with two goals inside five minutes which left the expectant home fans hanging dry.
With the coalminers digging around for a breakthrough, it was the lanky Denver Mukamba who sent the predominant visiting fans into a delirium with a clever goal in the 52nd minute.
A deadly right flank move involving Simba Sithole and Farai Mupasiri ended with Tawanda Muparati selling a clever dummy to on-rushing Mukamba who obliged by whipping a volley past a diving Timothy Sibanda.
Hwange were not given a chance to quickly search for a reply as Muparati sealed the match as a contest five minutes later when the home defence failed to clear their lines to leave the midfielder with acres of space to blast home from close range.
It was over for Hwange as reality started to sink in that this was going to be another forgettable 90 minutes of football.
It is long since the boys from Hwange last went to the bank for a winning bonus as their last win was on 5 August when they beat Caps United 3-2 at the same venue.
Since then it has been a sad script as they have got only two points to show from their last eight games.
The horrible form must have spurred Nation Dube’s lads as they pushed Dynamos to the canvas especially during the opening half.
A huge scare was in store for DeMbare as early as the second minute when lanky defender David Boriwondo rattled the crossbar with a flashing header after he had risen high to connect a curling Winston Mhango corner kick.
The hosts were not done as they continued pouring forward, forcing two corner kicks in the opening five minutes but the early goal proved elusive.
Feeling the heat from the burning coal, the visitors had their first chance at goal in the 12th minute when Dynamos’ hero of the afternoon Mukamba unleashed a stinging freekick which found Sibanda alert on duty.
On the quarter hour mark Hwange came asking again when Tawanda Mareya and Ocean Mpofu combined well in the middle of the park only for Evans Rusike to disappoint with an effort which he directed at the birds.
Dynamos continued to struggle with their game. They kept winning balls in midfield which they failed to put to good use as they were simply out of stride, save for some flashes of brilliance here and there from Mukamba.
The Glamour Boys only showed signs of life in the last minutes of the opening half with two beautiful moves which ended with overlapping defender David Kutyauripo and Devon Chafa missing good chances.
Hwange had started the half more purposeful but were let down by pathetic shooting before the defending champions stole the show in a memorable short spell which left Hwange staring at doomsday at the end of the season.
DeMbare did not sit on their laurels when they scored the two quick goals as they continued bombarding the Hwange goal but could not increase their tally.
Dube’s double substitution, bringing in Nkosana Siwela and Daniel Kamunhenga for Mpofu and Mareya respectively added firepower in the home attack but the Glamour Boys rearguard closed shop.
Hwange ended the game with more misery as their reliable shot stopper Timothy Sibanda was shown the red card by impressive referee Bekezela Makeka in injury-time for lunging at Kutyauripo as they went for a loose ball.
There was a bit of a comedy at the end as defender Munyaradze Mungadze, sacrificed to guard the posts and made two stunning saves from corner kicks as DeMbare threatened to overrun their opponents.
A dejected Dube said his players played well but were guilty of lapses in concentration.
“We played well but the boys had some lapses in concentration which led to the two soft goals. The boys now need a lot of motivation as we move forward because their confidence is low at the present moment,” he said.
DeMbare’s Tonderayi Ndiraya was not available for a post-match interview.
One had to be at the Hwange supporters’ stand to see that Dube was right in his comment.
Perhaps an English professor can have superlatives to describe how the wheels have gone off at Hwange. Player morale is rock bottom, the executive is dumbfounded, the fans are shell-shocked and the community at large is at a loss for words.
Will Hwange, one of the oldest teams in the country having been formed in 1940, survive the dreaded chop or we are seeing a repeat of 2007 where the team started well but ended up in the unfashionable jungles of Division One?
A minute of silence was held before the match in honour of the late national hero and former Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Stan Mudenge.
PSL president Twine Phiri was part of the crowd yesterday.
Teams
Hwange: T Sibanda; G Ndlovu; D Boriwondo; A Katebe; O Mpofu (N Siwela 62nd minute); M Mungadze; T Mareya (D Kamunhenga 62nd minute); M Longwe; E Rusike (A Tavarwisa 75th minute); F Zvikumbawire; W Mhango.
Dynamos: G Chigova; O Mushure; P jaure; C Zhokinyu; D Kutyauripo; D Chafa; D Mukamba (T Mabvura 88th min); M Murape (A Kaseloki 77th minute); T Muparati; S Sithole; F Mupasiri.
Online Reporter