Online Reporter
Mugove Chigada
Deputy Sports Editor
CROSSED lines and old faces add spice to Rufaro showdown between Dynamos and Scottland tomorrow.
To understand it better, you have to go back to the beginning.
Exactly a year ago, Dynamos were fighting for dear life in the Castle Lager Premiership.
At the heart of that battle was captain Emmanuel Jalai, alongside Ghanaian defender Issaka Mohamed, two players who brought steel and stability to the Dynamos ship.
They delivered.
In doing so, they became the first team in the past decade to survive relegation from 15 points after 19 games, the greatest escape story in recent PSL memory. Jalai and Issaka became heroes.
Across town in Mabvuku, colourful Scottland were on their way to winning the league title in their debut season under coach Tonderai Ndiraya.
They delivered too.
They did it with star power in their ranks, Knowledge Musona, Khama Billiat and Walter Musona leading the charge.
On the periphery, others were clamouring for game time.
And one such player was Nathan Mutasa, whose struggles continued into the 2026 season.
But football has a habit of flipping the script. When Dynamos face Scottland at Rufaro tomorrow, the team sheets will tell an intriguing story.
Both Jalai and Issaka will be in Scottland colours.
And then there is Nathan, the player who crossed the floor the other way, the same man who powered Dynamos to a 4-1 win over TelOne on Sunday, and finally allowed himself a smile, now in blue.
“I think Nathan was the best player on the pitch, but he still needs to improve and understand our philosophy and tactics even better,” said Dynamos coach Aristide Cioaba after the game.
On Sunday, at 1-1, Dynamos looked to be heading for more disappointment in the Chibuku Super Cup, to add to the Munhumutapa and CAF Confederation nightmares.
But Mutasa, coming off the bench, had a point to prove and a statement to make before Wednesday’s showdown.
If given the chance again, he could be the man to derail Scottland’s title charge.
“I have always said he is a talented player. He has quality and excellent technique. If he continues to work hard, stay disciplined and improve physically, he has a very bright future.
“Step by step, we are working with him in training. He trusts the technical team, and I am confident he can become one of the best players in the country,” Cioaba added.
But perhaps the most fresh wound for Dynamos is the 5-0 defeat to Scottland in the season opener, the Challenge Cup. The first league fixture was a goalless draw. And now could be the time to settle scores, at least from a Dynamos perspective.
But the Dynamos coach is under no illusion about the task ahead. Tomorrow, they must also be pre-pared to play without much of the ball against the Norman Mapeza charges.
The champions are currently top with 53 points, two ahead of second-placed Hardrock. They will go five points clear if they win this game in hand. Dynamos are third with 45 points, same points as fourth-placed Herentals, who have an inferior goal difference.
“Now there is pressure from all the teams fighting for the top. I would like to be the champion, but we respect Scottland, the champions here,” said Cioaba.
“They have the good players, they have the big players. We will come and try our best to try to win the game for us. We will try our best on Wednesday after this positive result.”
On the other side, Issaka looks set to face the club that gave him his break. He has established himself well, but the colour blue carries early memories after his 6,600km journey.
Playing for Scottland alone is demanding, and facing his former club will bring its own pressure.
That pressure has been heightened by fans back home keeping tabs.
“My friends back home tell me people are noticing how league football in Zimbabwe is transforming,” Issaka told Zimpapers Sports Hub recently.
“They tell me the league has become more interesting and challenging. There’s positive feedback from Ghana.”
And then there is the Jalai chapter.
His arrival at Scottland, by all accounts, was not of his own making.
After helping DeMbare to safety, he left for South Africa Premiership side Durban City, thinking he had closed the local league chapter on a high, armed with an unwritten pact with ‘Vietnam’.
But Scottland came calling, on loan. Will he face Dynamos?
Indications were that an agreement existed to ensure the right-back did not play against Dynamos, but that now looks set to change if coach Mapeza decides to use him. The agreement, verbal or in writing, has however not been formally confirmed.
A lot has been happening behind the scenes, and when these two finally meet in what could be one of the biggest matches of the season, expect different emotions: bittersweet, tense, and perhaps relief at the end.
