Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, [email protected]
BLACKROCK coach Tinashe Doriro believes his side’s stunning elimination of Highlanders is exactly what the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup was created for giving lower-league clubs the belief and platform to challenge Zimbabwean football’s established giants.
Blackrock, in only their second season in the Southern Region Division One, stunned Highlanders at Colliery Stadium on Sunday, holding the Bulawayo giants to a goalless draw before winning 5-3 on penalties to book their place in the last 16.
It was a victory that carried even greater significant
ce given Highlanders’ stature in the local game.
And Doriro was quick to put the achievement into perspective.
“100 percent, this is what this cup is all about,” said Doriro.
“It gives lower league clubs a stage to show what they are capable of doing and Blackrock, in our second year in Division One, have beaten Highlanders. Kudos to our owners and executive.”
Blackrock’s triumph was not an accident or a case of simply surviving against a more fancied opponent.
Doriro said his players went into the contest with a clear plan, one that demanded discipline, courage and a willingness to believe that Highlanders’ reputation could be put aside once the game began.
“Our plan was simple, be quick in transitions, maximum concentration in all phases of the game, work harder than them and be brave in possession,” he said.
“The boys executed that perfectly. I’m proud of the discipline. The biggest surprise was their confidence.”
That confidence was perhaps the defining characteristic of Blackrock’s performance.
Highlanders had entered the tie as overwhelming favourites, but the underdogs refused to be intimidated by the occasion or the reputation of their opponents.
Doriro had prepared his players for precisely that challenge.
“I told them that no matter what, the game will be played. We can’t run away. The pressure is a privilege,” he said.
“Play the game like you’re playing any other game. I told them they are expected to win, but if we win, the token of appreciation will be great. We have everything to gain.”
Blackrock ultimately had everything to celebrate.
After 90 minutes failed to produce a goal, they showed remarkable composure in the shootout, converting all five of their penalties while Highlanders’ Andrew Mbeba saw his effort saved by goalkeeper Alfred Phiri.
The result sent one of Zimbabwe’s biggest clubs out of the competition while Blackrock, a side still establishing itself in the lower leagues, marched on.
But the significance of the result stretches beyond Blackrock.
Only a day earlier, another underdog story had unfolded at the same venue when Hwange stunned Dynamos 1-0 to send the Harare giants out.
Two of Zimbabwean football’s biggest names Highlanders and Dynamos have therefore already fallen at the first hurdle, while Hwange and Blackrock have emerged as unlikely standard-bearers for the competition’s giant-killing spirit.
That is precisely the kind of unpredictability the Munhumutapa Cup promised.
The tournament has attracted huge attention because of its lucrative prize money, but its early stages have shown that its greatest attraction could be the opportunity it gives clubs outside the traditional elite to compete on an equal stage.
For Blackrock, the victory has also changed the perception of what they can achieve.
“We fully prepared for the match and even watched their game against Caps United,” said Doriro.
The preparation paid off.
But the Blackrock coach is refusing to allow the Highlanders victory to alter his team’s ambitions or make his players lose sight of the bigger picture.
“Our ambition doesn’t change despite winning against Highlanders. We want to go as far as we can in this cup,” he said.
“Our feet should stay on the ground. Next round it’s going to be tougher as teams now will dig more about us. We need to recover and start to prepare well.
“The boys were amazing.”
For a club in only its second year in Division One, Blackrock have already created a moment that will be remembered for a long time.
More importantly, they have demonstrated the very idea behind the Munhumutapa Cup: give the underdogs a stage, give them belief and give them one opportunity to make history.
Blackrock took theirs.
And Highlanders paid the price.
