adminPhineas Mukwazo Sport
WHEN the time comes to revisit the narration of the 2014 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season part of the script might read:
The Glamour Boys, Dynamos, DeMbare, eyeing a record fourth title on the trot, had, at one time, on paper what appeared to be the easiest remaining three home matches that included Chapungu and Bantu Rovers, which they both drew.
DeMbare had the luxury of playing ZPC Kariba and Harare City away from home, ironically at home in Harare.
It seemed difficult to see DeMbare dropping points in those remaining matches more so as the Harare giants are characteristically untouchable at this very late stage of the season.
But word of caution was that maDeMbare, a team which is ranked among the top 10 teams on the continent, should know that football could be difficult to predict.
After all they were forced to eat a humble pie along the way when they were defeated on penalties by struggling Triangle in the One Wallet Cup final.
Although all their remaining fixtures looked winnable, we cautioned, they should not take their opponents lightly.
Kallisto Pasuwa’s men had the experience to handle the pressure as they have been in similar situations in the last three seasons when they won the league title on the last day.
For ZPC Kariba, theirs has been a fairytale debut season in the top flight and whatever could happen at the end of the season, Saul Chaminuka’s team, had done enough to win the hearts of many neutrals.
Someone once said names don’t really matter, but that all one needs to know is the content, not what it is named.
ZPC Kariba might have been a new name in our Premier Soccer League, but certainly the calibre, the quality of their personnel was certainly not green. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
At the start of the season, ZPC were one of the teams many bookmakers earmarked for relegation, largely through a torrid pre-season. How that was misleading.
Chaminuka’s men have, however, defied all odds, refusing to be cowed down as the season progressed.
Yesterday a Dynamos win could have reduced them to has-beens, as DeMbare could have sealed it.
But it was not to be, shaming most of us who had thought otherwise.
However, the 2-1 win by ZPC yesterday means that the title race has been pushed to the last day of the rollercoaster season.
By virtue of their win yesterday, ZPC has eliminated CAPS from the championship equation. But they meet Makepekepe in their last match of the season.
And guess what, the league debutants are on course to not only put a mockery on the home advantage rule, but they will become the first team in Zimbabwe to win the league championship playing all home games away from home.
Somebody once said “The only lifeline is that football is not played on paper.” And indeed, for DeMbare on paper it had looked really good. But DeMbare still remain capable.
But pressure is less on ZPC Kariba, written off by just everyone leading into yesterday’s encounter, as we already thought that DeMbare of the scudetto and a record fourth title was on the trot. But the homeless lads from Kariba confounded us all.
And their destiny is now only in their hands.
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