Chronicle Editor
Bruce Chikuni, Sports Reporter
SIMBA Bhora’s shocking defeat to Dynamos in the Castle Challenge Cup was a harsh wake-up call for the champions.
Despite a fine performance from defender Isheanesu Mauchi, the team lacked the desire and hunger to take down their opponents.
The miners had come to this fixture with the favourites’ tag after making a statement with a huge investment in the transfer window.
Dynamos, on the other hand, had spent almost nothing, something which left many praying for them to survive the wrath of Simba Bhora.
Mauchi’s individual brilliance was on full display when he fired Simba Bhora ahead with a fine header from close range before the break.
However, Dynamos’ Clive Mandivei restored parity moments after the restart, and the match ultimately went to penalties.
Joel Luphahla’s men looked more worried about bossing the midfield and forcing Dynamos to hit them with long balls.
A collective will to fire shots on Dynamos keeper Prince Tafiremutsa was just not on their to-do list.
Surprisingly, it was their goalie, Tonderai Mateyaunga, who was tested more, something which goes to show how uninterested the Shamva side were in hitting DeMbare where it hurts.
They were bailed out many times by the 194,5cm defender, who proved to be DeMbare’s main hurdle in their attempts to floor Simba Bhora.
His aerial advantage forced Dynamos to resort to wing play, and his partnership with Webster Tafa proved to be a formidable wall.
“I’m proud of how we defended as a unit,” Mauchi said.
“But it’s clear that we should have done better in preventing Dynamos from getting the equaliser. We were just unfortunate to lose in the manner that we did, but we gave our all as a team.
“It’s almost a new team, and we are still getting to know each other. I believe it is just an eye-opener for us. We know what we need to work on, and we’ll come back stronger in our next game.”
Mauchi is already looking ahead to the next challenge.
“We need to regroup and refocus,” he said.
“We have a tough league campaign ahead of us, and we need to make sure we’re ready. I’m excited to get back to work and help the team achieve our goals.
“I think it is too early to make any suggestions because I believe we have a talented squad that can make it hard for any team this season. We just have to take a lesson from our loss.”
Online Reporter