admin
Eddie Chikamhi in GABORONE, Botswana and Augustine Hwata in HARARE—-
DYNAMOS have not won a Champions League away assignment in four years and will next month return to the Democratic Republic of Congo, scene of their last triumph on the road in 2010, hoping to break the jinx that has stalked them whenever they play outside the country.
Coach Callisto Pasuwa has been in charge of five Champions League matches, on the road, and he is still chasing his maiden win after his Glamour Boys were held to a 1-1 draw by Botswana lightweights, Mochudi Centre Chiefs, in the second leg of their preliminary round clash in Gaborone on Sunday.
Interestingly, Dynamos will be in Kinshasa for a tie against AS Vita on March 9, hoping that they can end their barren search for a victory in the country where they last recorded a victory on the road in the Champions League when they beat Lupopo 1-0.
Striker Cuthbert Malajila, now at Mamelodi Sundowns, scored the priceless goal.
The draw in Gaborone was only the second time, in five games, that Pasuwa has managed to avoid defeat, in the Champions League, on the road with his record now standing at — Played Five, Won Zero, Draw Two, Lost Three, Scored Three, Conceded 13.
Under Pasuwa Dynamos have drawn 2-2 against Liga Muculmana in Mozambique, lost 0-6 to Esperance of Tunisia, were beaten 0-1 by little Lesotho Correctional Services, were beaten 0-3 by CA Birzetin in Tunisia and drew 1-1 with Chiefs in Gaborone.
Ronald Chitiyo finished off a fine move in the 43rd minute to give DeMbare the lead at the National Stadium in Gaborone but Onalethsata Thsekiso levelled the scores and restricted Dynamos from celebrating a victory against Chiefs.
DeMbare’s success kept them on course for a possible blockbuster showdown against Kaizer Chiefs, in the second round, should both teams clear their first round hurdles.
Dynamos progressed 4-1 on aggregate but Pasuwa knows that tougher opponents lie in ambush and, crucially, his men should now start to believe that they can also squeeze a victory on the road if they are to be successful in this tournament.
“Of course, we are worried by the result as coaches because that’s not what we aim for. We have to win away because where we are going it’s going to be tough,” said Pasuwa.
“We need to get results away from home to compete with the best teams in Africa.
“Maybe, we also need to be strong mentally because sometimes the environment out there is intimidating. But here in Botswana the home crowds were not as huge as they would be when playing in North Africa.
“I think we defended too deep in the second half and that gave us problems. The more we defended the more they came at us. Maybe these guys thought we should defend our one goal lead but you can’t defend forever.
“At one stage you will always crumble and concede. That is what happened. So it’s all about concentration.”
Dynamos are now turning their focus to their next challenge against AS Vita of the DRC, who edged Nigeria’s Kano Pillars 4-3 on aggregate.
AS Vita lost 1-2 to Kano Pillars at the weekend but they had laid the ground for their success in the first leg which they won 3-1.
The Glamour Boys will host AS Vita of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first round on March 2 in Harare before travelling to Kinshasa for the reverse fixture a week later.
“I haven’t seen much of AS Vita in action and we may need to look for their videos and plan accordingly. But I have watched their first leg against Kano Pillars. They are a good side and well organised,” said Pasuwa.
“We need to prepare well for all the coming matches. Ours is a fairly new team and we have been trying out various combinations.
“It seems they are coming up well although we feel we need to rotate the players because some of them are still complaining of match fitness.”
DeMbare gave new-boys Walter Mukanga and Tafadzwa Rusike their Champions League debut on Sunday but one player who stood out was Ronald “Rooney” Chitiyo, who was hailed by his coach. “I have always said that he is a very good player. He has played for the national team and his performance at the Cosafa tournament was brilliant,” said Pasuwa.
“He played well again here in Botswana and displayed that he is eager to wear the blue-and-white jersey.”
Dynamos have failed to qualify for the mini-league phase of the Champions league since their last appearance, under the guidance of coach Elvis Chiweshe, in 2010.
The Glamour Boys’ failure to win away from home remains one of their biggest weaknesses.
In the 2011 edition of the Champions League, Dynamos got a bye in the preliminary round and appeared to get off to a blistering start in the first round when they beat MC Alger 4-1 at Rufaro.
DeMbare were on course for a 4-0 victory before a blunder by Denver Mukamba presented the Algerians with a priceless away goal.
In the return leg, Dynamos were beaten 0-3, in a controversial match, in Algiers after Archie Gutu and Guthrie Zhokinyi were sent off.
The script was the same in the 2012 Champions League campaign when Dynamos drew 2-2 with Liga Muculumana away in Maputo before a 1-0 victory in Harare saw them through to the next round.
In the next round Dynamos were handed their biggest defeat in Champions League as they were drubbed 6-0 in the first leg of the second round match by Esperance in Tunis.
Dynamos were given a lifeline to play in the Caf Confederation Cup but lost 1-0 away to Inter Clube of Angola again.
Last year, Dynamos lost their away match 1-0 to Lesotho Correctional Services at Setsoto Stadium, but prevailed against the background of a 3-0 win in the first leg.
Dynamos were also exposed for their lack of mental strength when they lost 3-0 to CA Birzetin of Algeria in the first leg of the first round.
Online Reporter