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Lovemore Dube in FRANCISTOWN, Botswana
THEY had everything in their favour – a first leg lead, a clean sheet, a first half penalty to go out of sight and a cool US$400 000 to get as a reward.
Coach Lloyd “MaBlanyo” Chigowe knows this was his chance to make history.
This was his golden chance to silence all those who have doubted him.
This was his chance to complete his transformation into a coach who deserves respect and who should not be thought of only when there is a crisis at DeMbare.
But, Chigowe and his Glamour Boys ailed their biggest test in a decade and collapsed on the big stage like a deck of cards on a windy day here as they allowed Orapa United to sail through to the group stages of the CAF Confederations Cup.
This is a result that will hurt Dynamos, and their army of fans, for years because they were very close to a return to a dance with the big boys.
The odds favoured Dynamos, who have been there before, but a mediocre performance at Obed Itani Chilume Stadium on Sunday saw them blowing a glorious chance to brand Zimbabwean football. DeMbare were up against a team that had failed to proceed to the group stages in three other attempts.
Dynamos went into the match as favourites to proceed having won the first leg 1-0 a week earlier.
The football gods appeared to be smiling on Dynamos coach Lloyd ‘MaBlanyo’ Chigowe as his team got a 21st minute penalty.
Had it been converted, the scoreline would have read 2-0 and they would have been out of sight.
Regular penalty taker Kevin Moyo took the responsibility and casually shot at goalkeeper Malepela. The tall goalkeeper dived to the right to stop the tame effort.
Emmanuel Paga thought he had scored but referee Antony Doud ruled out the effort signaling that Paga had used his hand to get the ball over.
From there, the Glamour Boys were not the same.
Dynamos lost the battle in the crucial midfield department which left the defence quite vulnerable all afternoon and, as the match progressed Kevin Moyo, Frank Makarati, Emmanuel Jalai and Donald Dzvinyai were overwhelmed.
Temptation Chiwunga, Lyndon Alick and Shadreck Nyahwa did not provide the grit needed.
Nomore Chinyerere added a bit of spark on the offensive but that was not enough for the Zimbabwean side.
To make matters worse, Makarati beat his own goalkeeper Martin Mapisa.
And, with that, the DeMbare adventure ended.
Four games, one goal conceded and it’s over. – (@H-Metro)
Online Reporter