Online Reporter
Onward Gangata
TelOne 1-0 Dynamos
THE glamour is gone. The goals have dried up. And now, defeat is becoming a routine. For Dynamos fans, the unthinkable is beginning to take shape: relegation is no longer a far fetched fear, it’s a looming reality.
On another frustrating afternoon, the Harare giants were sunk by a second half header from TelOne striker Washington Navaya, who sealed a deserved 1-0 victory for the Wi-Fi Boys in a tense Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash at Ascot Stadium yesterday.
That’s now three consecutive games without scoring for DeMbare, a damning stat for a club of their stature.
Even worse, Dynamos looked like a team with no belief. Once behind, there was no fight, no urgency, just resignation.
And yet, it had started promisingly for Saul Chaminuka’s side. They were dominant in the opening half, dictating play and creating chances, but as has become the story of their season, they lacked the composure and clinical edge in front of goal.
In the fifth minute, midfielder Temptation Chiwungwa forced a brilliant save from TelOne goalkeeper Tapiwa Chilenga with a sizzling free-kick. Moments later, Brandon Jerimani’s low effort was cleared off the line by Prince Milanzi.
Valentine Kadonzvo then blazed over from close range on the half hour mark as the chances kept coming, and going.
At the other end, TelOne were quietly dangerous. Navaya forced a reflex save from Prince Tafiremutsa with a header before the Dynamos keeper twice denied Tawanda Macheke and Nigel Makumbe in quick succession.
But TelOne made their pressure count five minutes after the break. Milanzi floated in a perfect cross and Navaya rose highest to glance home the winner, and with it, push TelOne into third place on the table with 33 points.
After the game, a visibly frustrated Chaminuka struggled to hide his disappointment at yet another fruitless performance.
“It’s painful. You play a match where you feel in control, and still come away with nothing,” he said. “I thought it was only a matter of time before we scored, but we made the wrong choices in the final third. We had the better chances, they had one and took it.”
Still, the Dynamos coach remains defiant:
“We have 14 games left, that’s 42 points to fight for. We will not go down. We are in a bad patch, yes, but there are 10 teams around us. All it takes is two wins in a row.”
Meanwhile, TelOne coach Herbert Maruwa was ecstatic. The result, he says, is more than just three points, it’s a declaration of intent.
“I’m happy to win after a run of draws. And to beat Dynamos like this, in style, it shows we are serious about challenging for the championship,” Maruwa said boldly.
TEAMS
TelOne: Tapiwa Chilenga, Calvin Chigara, Pawell Govere, Frank Makarati, Admire Dzumbunu, Prince Milanzi, Nigel Makumbe (G. Bero 52’), Kudakwashe Nyakudanga, Panashe Mtasa (L. Murape 52’), Washington Navaya, Tawanda Macheke (T. Mambudzi 52’)
Dynamos: Prince Tafiremutsa, Costa Nzviyo, Abel Gwatidzo, Shadreck Nyahwa, Clive Mandivei, Brandon Jerimani (A. Mandinyenya 62’), Tellmore Pio, Temptation Chiwungwa, Valentine Kadonzvo (L. Mavhunga 62’), Frank Agyemang, Vusa Ngwenya
