Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere, [email protected]
RUFARO Stadium in Harare comes alive again this afternoon as Dynamos host Highlanders in the country’s biggest football rivalry, a match that rarely needs an invitation to fill the stands.
Week Two of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League brings together Zimbabwe’s two most supported clubs in a fixture that still pulls crowds, debate and emotion wherever it is played. When DeMbare and Bosso meet, the game carries its own atmosphere long before the first whistle.
Today’s clash arrives only a month after the sides last faced each other in the Jairos Jiri Charity Cup at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo. Highlanders won that contest 1-0 through a strike by Nigerian forward Benjamin Adeguon, a result that handed Bosso early bragging rights before the league campaign began.
That memory will not be lost on Dynamos this afternoon.
The Harare giants return to Rufaro with confidence after opening their league campaign with a 2-1 victory over TelOne in Gweru last weekend, a result that lifted the mood around coach Genesis Mangombe’s squad ahead of one of the season’s most watched fixtures.
Highlanders arrive in the capital with a point from their own opening match after drawing 1-1 with Bulawayo Chiefs. Adeguon rescued Bosso with a late penalty that spared them defeat and ensured coach Benjani Mwaruwari’s men did not begin their centenary season with disappointment.
Mwaruwari expects another demanding contest this afternoon despite his side’s recent victory over Dynamos.
“Yes we beat them in that charity match but this is a different game,” he said.
“When Dynamos and Highlanders meet, the match motivates itself. We are still building and trying to find the right combinations. Signing Andrew Mbeba is a big boost for us because he is an important player.”
Bosso are likely to rely on a core that includes Mbeba, Darlington Mukuli, Kudakwashe Mahachi, Reason Sibanda, Archford Faira, goalkeeper Reward Muza and the energetic Mongameli Tshuma as they attempt to control the contest in midfield.
Dynamos coach Mangombe knows the occasion demands focus from the first whistle.
“The mood in the camp is good,” he said.
“Playing Highlanders is always difficult. We cannot relax. We must match them in every department because this is a big match and we have to give everything.”
By kick-off, Rufaro is expected to be packed with supporters from both sides, a familiar sight whenever the blue of Dynamos meets the black and white stripes of Highlanders.
The rivalry has shaped Zimbabwean football for decades. This afternoon, the old stadium hosts another chapter as two giants chase early season momentum and the bragging rights that come with winning the country’s biggest game.
