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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports— Editor
CALLISTO PASUWA has imposed himself on the Harare Derby, turning it into his little kingdom where he looks like a ruthless emperor whose supreme rule is without challenge, in the two years that he has been in charge at champions Dynamos. Although Pasuwa has led DeMbare to a League and Cup double in the past two seasons, it’s in the Harare Derby where his dominance has been well and truly pronounced and at Rufaro on Sunday, he made it six wins in as many league and cup matches against his team’s old enemy.
Incredibly, while Dynamos have won all four league matches against CAPS United under Pasuwa, and the two ties in the Mbada Diamonds Cup, the big story that hasn’t been told is that the Green Machine HAVE FAILED TO SCORE A GOAL in those games stretching over 24 months, a cool 540 minutes of action and exactly nine hours of this brutal contest.
It’s the longest barren run, without a goal for the Green Machine in head-to-head contests against their biggest rivals, and puts into perspective the way Pasuwa has imposed himself on this blue ribbon fixture in the domestic Premiership.
And, it’s not just one CAPS United coach who has failed to find a breakthrough, in terms of a goal against Pasuwa, let alone a draw or a victory, but a battery of coaches, including a Northern Irishman, who have been in charge of the Green Machine at different intervals during that period.
Pasuwa’s first opponent, on the CAPS United bench, was Lloyd Chitembwe in the Mbada Diamonds Cup first round match at the National Sports Stadium in September 2011 and a David Sengu own goal fired the Glamour Boys to a 1-0 victory, and helped them clear a huge barrier, on their way to winning the tournament.
His next opponent was Sean Connor, in the Harare Derby at the same stadium last year, and Tawanda Muparati scored late in the game to secure a 1-0 win for DeMbare.
By the time the two teams met, in the reverse fixture of the Harare Derby, Connor was gone, but Pasuwa was still in the DeMbare dugout and this time he faced Taurai Mangwiro, one of the few coaches that had beaten him earlier that season while being employed by Monomotapa.
But this was a mismatch of a contest as CAPS United capitulated under the weight of expectations and were already down 0-2 at half-time with goals from Farai Mupasiri and Guthrie Zhokinyi before Cliff Sekete rolled in the killer third goal for a 3-0 win.
There would be a third meeting between the two giants last year and with Taurai Mangwiro sidelined by his boardroom challenges after Zifa briefly froze his career, there was a third opponent, in as many games, for Pasuwa in the CAPS United dugout for their clash in the Mbada Diamonds Cup semi-final on neutral soil at Barbourfields.
But while the identity of the coach had changed, with Mkhupali Masuku in temporary charge for that game, the outcome didn’t change and there was another blowout victory for DeMbare as Denver Mukamba, Simba Sithole and Rodreck Mutuma scored in a comprehensive, and very impressive, 3-0 victory.
The identity of the CAPS United coach had, once again, changed when the two teams met in a league showdown at the National Sports Stadium this season, although this was a familiar face, with Mangwiro returning to official duties.
In a close, and tense, encounter, a Devon Chafa penalty settled the contest as DeMbare won 1-0 with leftback Ronald Pfumbidzai the fall guy after he was adjudged to have handled in the area.
As fate would have it, the only goal that would decide the reverse fixture of the Harare Derby, when it returned to Rufaro on Sunday, would be worked down the left hand channel of the CAPS United defence, with Pfumbidzai being screened out by Oscar Machapa, who charged forward and then curled home a beauty with his weaker left foot.
It didn’t surprise Pasuwa who won the tactical battle, something he credits to working with Ian Gorowa in the national team set-up, by employing a lone forward and making sure he had enough man to take care of the pressure that would come from their rivals.
Washington Pakamisa might be frustrating, to many DeMbare fans, with the chances he misses but, in terms of the game plan of a one-man striker who holds up play and keeps the defence busy, his industry is priceless.
“Oscar has been scoring some great goals, with his left foot, at our training sessions and I was pretty sure, when he went into that space, he could try one and it was a beauty,” said Pasuwa.
Machapa was the ninth different scorer for Dynamos, since Pasuwa took over, in head-to-head matches against CAPS United while there has been no response from the Green Machine players.
The only goal from a CAPS United player has been Sengu’s own goal.
DeMbare can also claim to have some form of continuity, which helps them, and on Sunday Pasuwa was able to field six players, including the heart of his defence — George Chigova, Partson Jaure and Ocean Mushure — who played in the last Harare Derby at the giant stadium last year.
The others were Murape Murape, Sekete and Muparati.
In sharp contrast, Mangwiro could only field three — Tapiwa Khumbuyani, Tawanda Munyanduri and Leonard Fiyado — from the group that played that game while two of his other players from that tie, Pakamisa and Clive Kawinga, were in the opponents’ colours.
What The CAPS Coaches Said:
2011 Mbada Diamonds Cup, First Round — Dynamos 1, CAPS 0
“We just did not come to the party as a team. Obviously it’s disappointing to lose a match but we can draw solace from the lessons that we drew from this defeat,” — Lloyd Chitembwe.
2012 Premiership Game —
Dynamos 1, CAPS 0
“The boys executed the game plan very well and we dominated for long periods but, unfortunately, we could not convert the chances that came our way. A minor mistake cost us but I do not want to point fingers at anyone. The effort, commitment and attitude was there in the players throughout the game but we were just unfortunate not to post a positive result,” — Sean Connor.
2012 Premiership Game —
CAPS United 0, Dynamos 3
“We lost the battle but the war is still on. Ever since we took over, we have been changing players here and there. We have been trying to get a winning formula but it has not been the case. It’s only a matter of time before we start winning,” — Taurai Mangwiro.
2013 Premiership Game —
CAPS United 0 Dynamos 1
“I think we gave it a good fight and we could have escaped, at least, with a point but unfortunately it was not to be. You need some luck at times. The penalty and the goal was the turning point for the match. If we are to go back and rewind the tape to look at the incidents leading to the penalty, I have my own reservations on some of the decisions.” — Taurai Mangwiro.
2013 Premiership Game —
Dynamos 1, CAPS United 0
“I thought in the second half we tried our best to level the scores but it’s frustrating the way these games are being handled. You can easily see the way that these guys were buying time and it’s unfortunate that someone will reward you with only three minutes when you look at how much time was wasted.” — Taurai Mangwiro.
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