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the coalminers in an incident-packed Castle Lager Premiership soccer match at Rufaro yesterday.
While Chinyama was hogging the limelight on the pitch, hooliganism reared its ugly head before this entertaining match.
Dynamos marshals assaulted Hwange coaches after clashing in the tunnel before kick-off and the coalminers threatened to boycott the game.
They, however, went on to play the game without their head coach Nation Dube and his assistant Mamelo Njekwa after the duo had gone to hospital.
Three Dynamos marshals were arrested and were still detained at Mbare Police Station last night.
Hwange head coach Dube and his assistant Njekwa had a physical confrontation with the Dynamos marshals in what could be a case of superstition in the pre-match rituals.
Hwange team manager Tennant Chilumba is away in Zambia where he is attending a coaching course and the absence of the trio left kit manager Andrew Zulu and fitness trainer Kenneth Nyape taking over the coaching duties after a 45-minute delay.
Hwange were the first to arrive at Rufaro and headed to the visitors’ dressing room, ready for a warm-up while Dynamos were still outside the stadium.
As Dynamos came in, Dube and Njekwa, who were idling in the corridor, are alleged to have moved to either side of the walls so that the DeMbare players could pass between them.
But the Dynamos players stood still and refused to proceed, insisting that the Hwange coaches should both make room by standing to one side of the walls.
However, the Hwange coaches insisted that they had made way for their hosts and during the stand-off, the marshals allegedly shoved them against the walls.
During the scuffles, Hwange players fled their dressing room and refused to go for warm-up.
Police then came in and picked up the marshals but Dube and Njekwa maintained that they could not continue with game as they were in pain.
Match commissioner Wilfred Mukuna, the fourth official Nkanyiso Moyo, the police details, PSL official Cuthbert Mutandwa, Hwange secretary Burzil Dube and Hwange Colliery’s managing director Fred Moyo and the Dynamos chief security officer were then locked in a meeting as the Hwange players refused to warm-up.
During the drama, Dynamos players took to the field and warmed-up along the match officials in the absence of the Hwange players.
Dube and Njekwa were escorted to hospital before play could resume after Hwange secretary Dube had written a letter of protest.
“We should have called off the game because our coaches have been assaulted. This is intimidation and this is not good for football,” said Dube.
Moyo then intervened and ordered his players to proceed with the game as the largely Dynamos fans were now getting restless and impatient.
The situation threatened to get out of hand as some fans threw missiles onto the pitch when the Hwange players entered the field for a belated warm-up.
But away from the drama, Dynamos striker Chinyama returned to his scoring ways when he struck what could be a contender for the goal of the season and also created two other goals for his side.
The big striker, who opened his league account with a hat-trick against Hardbody before weighing in with a goal in their 4-1 win over Black Mambas, was yesterday at the end of a pass from Tawanda Muparati to sink a beauty from the box.
Muparati beat his marker on the left and then laid for Chinyama, who had his back to the goal, but somehow managed to turn around and rifle the ball past Hwange goalkeeper Petros Mhari in the 29th minute.
The fine goal could have captured the imagination of former South African coach and now Orlando Pirates scout Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala, who was watching the game.
Pirates are the latest team to stalk Chinyama as he had been outstanding for Dynamos since his return from Poland.
Chinyama’s goal came after Dynamos had taken the lead through Roderick Mutuma, who finished off a pass from Denver Mukamba, in the ninth minute.
Hwange players Aaron Katebe and Eric Chipeta failed to communicate and allowed Mukamba to gain possession before finding Mutuma who drilled the ball home from close range.
Chinyama manufactured the third goal when he beat two defenders and then squared for Mukamba to score with a simple effort.
The giant striker Chinyama returned to haunt the “coach-less” Hwange in the 56th minute when he controlled the ball before spotting Mutuma to finish off the move.
Despite being four goals down, Hwange continued fighting and reduced the arrears in the 63rd minute when Chipeta’s free-kick beat goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Hwange continued searching for more goals and were just let down by some poor finishing in the final quarter as they exposed the Dynamos defence with a fine passing game.
The coalminers clearly lacked the leadership from the bench as Nyape and Zulu barely gave any instructions to the players.
Midfielder Farayi Vimisayi, who was booed by the Dynamos fans on the Vietnam end, believed that the result could have been better if one of the coaches was present.
“We lost due to the disturbances that happened before the game.
“I think we played well but conceded some soft goals.
“We made blunders and were punished for that but we also scored goals.
“Generally, we were passing the ball better than Dynamos,” said Vimisayi, a former Dynamos player.
Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa was a worried man despite the win as his defence appeared shaky.
“The defenders were leaving the ball and it was not good.
“The guys loitered with the ball and we even went to sleep after scoring four goals. Due to complacency we allowed Hwange to score those two goals,” said Pasuwa.
Teams
Dynamos:
W. Arubi, D. Chafa, T. Magorimbo, D. Mukamba, T. Muparati, M. Murape (T. Mabvura 60th minute) O. Mushure (G. Magariro 64th minute), G. Zhokinyi, P. Jaure, R. Mutuma (M. Vengesayi 71st minute) T. Chinyama
Hwange:
P. Mhari, E. Chipeta, D. Boriwondo, R. Chinyengetere, F. Zikumbawire, D. Kamunhenga, W. Mhango, A. Tavarwisa (T. Mamina 82nd minute), G. Ndlovu, A. Katebe, F. Vimisayi (G. Zulu 67th minute).
Online Reporter