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Ricky Zililo, Sports Reporter
THE Castle Lager Premier Soccer League is already in its final third and defending champions Dynamos look set to retain the title for a third successive year. The Harare giants laboured for their 2011 and last season’s titles where they beat other championship contenders by a superior goal difference.
In 2011, Zvishavane-based FC Platinum finished the season tied on 58 points with Dynamos but had an inferior goal difference of plus 23 compared to DeMbare’s plus 27.
Last season, the Bulawayo giants went for an unbeaten run of 23 matches but still failed to clinch the title as they were pipped to it by Dynamos who were more lethal in front of goal. Both teams finished the season tied on 69 points but the Harare giants went home with the title after scoring 58 goals compared to Highlanders’ 49.
Dynamos and Highlanders had both conceded 15 goals throughout the season.
Looking at the 2013 season, Dynamos are at the top of the log standings with 41 points off 21 outings as they are the team that has conceded the least number of goals 11 so far.
DeMbare enjoy a two-point lead over second placed Harare City.
Soccer enthusiasts should brace for an exciting final third of the season as all the top six teams are in the running for the championship.
There are 27 points at stake before the season ends and only six points separate log leaders Dynamos and sixth placed Chicken Inn.
This means that should the Harare giants lose two points along the way and Chicken Inn win all their remaining matches and hope the other championship chasing clubs drop points as well, then the Mandla “Lulu” Mpofu coached Gamecocks might land their maiden league title.
At this stage, history favours Dynamos as they have proven difficult to dislodge once they are at the top of the log while chasing the championship.
Dynamos are faced with tricky matches as they still have to play three other championship contenders away from Harare in their last nine games.
In matches involving the top six teams on the log, DeMbare have done fairly well as they have not lost any encounter against any of the clubs winning three and playing four draws.
In Week 24, the defending champions travel to Zvishavane for a date with Lloyd Mutasa’s FC Platinum whom they played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg before facing Highlanders and Chicken in Bulawayo on Week 26 and Week 29 respectively.
In the first leg against Highlanders and Chicken Inn, Dynamos were held to identical 1-1 draws in Harare and it remains to be seen if they will be able to collect nine points on the road against fellow title hopefuls.
Previously Highlanders has been a beneficiary of city teams’ good results against Dynamos.
An advantage for DeMbare as the season progresses is that they have done well in the second half where they have amassed 13 points out of a possible 18 with FC Platinum and Harare City getting 11 points each, Caps United nine, Highlanders eight and Chicken Inn five. Callisto Pasuwa would like to continue with his fine run and add a major silverware in his team’s trophy cabinet. While Dynamos’ championship hopes look bright, Kelvin Kaindu and his Highlanders will need divine intervention to win the championship as they have fared badly against other title contenders where they only managed a single victory against second placed Harare City at Barbourfields in the second half. Bosso went on to draw four times with Chicken Inn, Caps United, FC Platinum and Dynamos before losing to Caps United and Chicken Inn.
Highlanders’ championship hopes have been further dented by the fact that they are losing points willy-nilly, only managing eight points out of a possible 18 since the start of the second half of the season.
In their remaining matches, Bosso will face FC Platinum in their next league game, Dynamos on Week 26 and Bigboy Mawiwi’s Harare City in the capital on Week 29. If Highlanders fall to FC Platinum in their next league assignment, then they can kiss the title goodbye. Besides their remaining matches against Dynamos and Highlanders, FC Platinum who play in the BancABC Sup8r Cup final against Shabanie Mine today will travel to Bulawayo on Week 27 to square off with Chicken Inn who they beat 2-1 in the first leg.
Taurai Mangwiro’s Caps United whose 10-match unbeaten run was brought to a halt by Dynamos last Sunday are left with just two matches against championship contenders that is the Week 24 home game to Chicken Inn and the last match of the season against Harare City.
How the top six have played against each other
First leg: Dynamos 2, FC Platinum 2; Caps United 0, Dynamos 1; Dynamos 0, Harare City 0; Dynamos 1, Chicken Inn 1; Dynamos 1, Highlanders 1; FC Platinum 1, Harare City 1; Harare City 1, Caps United 0; Highlanders 2, Harare City 0; Harare City 2, Chicken Inn 1; Highlanders 0, Chicken Inn 1; Caps United 2, Highlanders 1; FC Platinum 0, Highlanders 0; FC Platinum 2, Chicken Inn 1; Chicken Inn 1, Caps United 0;Caps United 2, FC Platinum 1
Second leg: Harare City 1, Dynamos 3; Dynamos 1, Caps United 0; Highlanders 0, Caps United 0; Chicken Inn 1, Highlanders 1; FC Platinum 2, Caps United 2; Harare City 1, FC Platinum 0
Outstanding second leg: Highlanders v FC Platinum (Week 22), Chicken Inn v Harare City (Week 23), Caps United v Chicken Inn, FC Platinum v Dynamos (both Week 24), Highlanders v Dynamos (Week 26), Chicken Inn v FC Platinum (Week 27), Chicken Inn v Dynamos, Harare City v Highlanders (both Week 29), Caps United v Harare City (Week 30)
Log
P W D L F A Pts
Dynamos 7 3 4 0 8 5 13
Harare City 7 3 2 2 6 7 11
Chicken Inn 6 2 2 2 6 6 8
Caps United 8 2 2 4 6 8 8
Highlanders 7 1 4 2 5 5 7
FC Platinum 7 1 4 2 8 9 7
How the top six have played from Week 16 to Week 21
Dynamos 1, Caps United 0; Harare City 1, Dynamos 3; Black Rhinos 0, Dynamos 0; Dynamos 1, Motor Action 0; Dynamos 1, Buffaloes 0; How Mine 1, Dynamos 0; Harare City 2, Hwange 1; Monomotapa 0, Harare City 1; Harare City 1, FC Platinum 0; Tripple B 0, Harare City 0; Triangle 2, Harare City 2; How Mine 1, Highlanders 0; Highlanders 2, Monomotapa 0; Black Mambas 1, Highlanders 0; Highlanders 1, Hwange 0; Chicken Inn 1, Highlanders 1; Highlanders 1, Caps United 1; Caps United 3, Tripple B 0; FC Platinum 2, Caps United 2; Caps United 2, Monomotapa 1; Hwange 1, Caps United 1; FC Platinum 2, Monomotapa 0; Hwange 0, FC Platinum 1; FC Platinum 1, Motor Action 0; Black Rhinos 2, FC Platinum 0; Chicken Inn 2, Black Rhinos 0; Buffaloes 1, Chicken Inn 0; Chicken Inn 1, How Mine 2; Black mambas 3, Chicken Inn 2; Chicken Inn 1, Shabanie Mine 1
Top six Week 16 to Week 21 Log
P W D L F A Pts
Dynamos 6 4 1 1 6 2 13
FC Platinum 6 3 1 2 6 5 11
Harare City 6 3 2 1 7 6 11
Caps United 6 2 3 1 8 5 9
Highlanders 6 2 2 2 4 3 8
Chicken Inn 6 1 2 3 7 9 5
Latest PSL Log
P W D L F A Pts
Dynamos 21 11 8 2 29 11 41
Harare City 21 11 6 4 33 17 39
Highlanders 21 11 4 6 30 17 37
FC Platinum 21 10 6 5 26 18 36
Caps United 21 10 5 6 29 20 35
Chicken Inn 21 10 4 7 25 24 34
Buffaloes 21 10 1 10 33 33 31
How Mine 21 9 4 8 20 23 31
Shabanie Mine 21 8 4 9 21 25 28
Triangle 21 7 6 8 24 26 27
Black Mambas 21 8 2 11 19 26 26
Hwange 21 5 7 9 20 22 22
Black Rhinos 21 5 7 9 22 30 22
Monomotapa 21 6 4 11 21 33 22
Tripple B 21 4 6 11 18 31 18
Motor Action 21 3 6 12 14 28 15
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