Zimbabwe: I’m Devastated - Chunga

ZIMBABWE - A dark cloud hung over the CAPS United camp while wild scenes of jubilation gripped the Dyna-mos family after Tawanda Muparati’s late strike settled the scores in the 67th edition of the Harare derby at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.

Despite it being the worst derby in terms of quality of play, victory was still greeted with so much excitement and relief by the Dynamos family.

Dynamos fans invaded the pitch to celebrate with their team as the Green corner, which was full of energy for the better part of the afternoon, suddenly fell into silence, as they tried to come to terms with the reality of losing to their bitter rivals.

CAPS United coach Moses ‘Bambo’ Chunga said the Green Machine were devastated by the last gasp goal that robbed them of a share of the spoils in the game which, however, had very little to write home about.

Chunga said he was disappointed Makepekepe lost at home after Muparati who had come in as substitute took advantage of a defensive mix-up to score what looked a soft goal for DeMbare in the 88th minute.

“No-one enjoys losing, whether it’s a derby or any other game for that matter. We played very well but we didn’t create enough chances. There was a lot of tension in the game and we made a silly blunder at the end which cost us,” said Chunga.

Although Dynamos coach Lloyd Mutasa did not wait to grant interviews to the media, racing to the dressing rooms immediately after the game, goalkeepers’ coach Tichaona Diya was on cloud nine and praised his charges for their fighting spirit. Diya said he hoped the victory could signal a turning point for DeMbare, who now face back-to-back fixtures with Chicken Inn in their next assignments.

“This is one of the games many people have been waiting for this season. Winning a game of this magnitude is a great feeling. We want to dedicate this win to our supporters who have been behind us through and through.

“I am happy for the team because even after the red card on Martin Vengesai they kept on charging forward. It sort of motivated them to work extra hard because they knew they were one man down. Murape played very well. He is a hard worker and I wasn’t surprised by his performance,” said Diya.

Dynamos swapped places with CAPS in the log table following the victory as the Green Machine dropped into sixth place on 21 points while DeMbare moved into fifth position with 22 points from 14 games.

The Glamour Boys also maintained their dominance over the Green Machine in the recent meetings as they have now won four of their last clashes in the last two years.

DeMbare beat CAPS 1-0 last season and drew 0-0 in the reverse leg. They also won by identical 3-2 margins in last year’s BancABC final and the Bob ’87 Trophy early this season.

But CAPS United could have lost revenue after some supporters forced their way into the stadium. Their management of the gates left a lot to be desired as many fans, some of whom had bought tickets to the VIP and VVIP areas, were stranded at the gates that were left unattended to before kick off. The game however attracted a good crowd despite failing to rise to the expectations.

Roving Dynamos wingback David Kutyauripo is set to undergo medical tests today to ascertain the extent of his knee injury after he was stretchered off the pitch during the match.

DeMbare team doctor Nathan Makanza said the defender had suffered a ‘slight knock’ on the left knee, which didn’t appear serious after the initial assessment. Kutyauripo writhed in pain after he was involved in a tussle with a CAPS United player and was replaced by Timire Mamvura in the 63rd minute.

“He received a knock on the knee and will undergo MRI scan tomorrow to see the extent of the injury. But I don’t think its something serious,” said Makanza.

What the players said after the game:

Martin Vengesai (Dynamos) - I think the referee was a bit too harsh on me on both occasions. It wasn’t fair because there were worse challenges, which he just waved on. But apart from that we had a good game. These guys had a great fighting spirit and even after my expulsion they kept on fighting. Winning a derby is something good. Hopefully this victory should signal a turning point and cancel out all the bad results that we had before.

Washington Arubi (Dynanos) - I’ve always said this is just like any other Premiership games but winning against CAPS United is a big deal to the Dynamos family. We are all happy. It’s a crucial victory because of the rivalry between the two teams.

Douglas Walaza (CAPS United) - We played very well for almost 90 minutes but we made a silly mistake in the end and got punished. It was very disheartening especially after all that hard work. We want to fight back and revenge in the return leg.

Edmore Sibanda (CAPS United) - We have lost to Dynamos before but losing in this way was very painful. I am broken hearted because we were really looking forward to this match. Otherwise we had a good game. I want to thank the supporters for the support they gave us. It just wasn’t our day.

Pride Tafirenyika (CAPS United) - It’s disappointing but it happens in football. We have to accept it because there are only three results in a game. The important thing is to be able to rise again from this setback.