Draw derails DeMbare

By The Independent | May. 9, 2022

After their title rivals Chicken Inn and Manica Diamonds dropped points on Saturday, the game against the relegation strugglers offered an opportunity for the Harare giants to open a gap at the top of the log table.

BY HENRY MHARA

DYNAMOS . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1

BULAWAYO CITY . . . . . . . (0) 1

TONDERAI Ndiraya was left to bemoan a missed opportunity after the league leaders squandered numerous chances, including a penalty to share spoils with basement side Bulawayo City in a league match at the National Sports Stadium yesterday.

They looked well on course when King Nadolo pounced after a defensive blunder to score his second goal in successive weeks just before the hour mark.

Ndiraya’s men had a chance to kill off the match with eight minutes remaining when referee Brighton Chimene awarded the home side a penalty after Lewis Ncube handled inside the box.

Midfielder Shadreck Nyahwa looked poised to take the penalty, but substitute Albert Eonde, who had come in 12 minutes earlier, snatched the ball from his hands.

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The Cameroonian’s tame kick was saved by Bulawayo City keeper Reward Muza, much to the disappointment of fans who showed their disapproval at the final whistle.

Ndiraya was also infuriated by the penalty incident and appeared to blame his senior players.

“We had the chance to kill off the match with that penalty. But what did we do? We lacked leadership in the field. Eonde is not a regular penalty taker in our team. We have got penalty takers, but they allowed him to take the spot-kick. We also have to blame ourselves, all of us for failing to bag maximum points today,” Ndiraya said.

Dynamos were made to rue the missed opportunity when Vincent Moyo scored in the 88th minute after the Dynamos defenders failed to deal with a corner kick, to gift the Bulawayo-based side an unlikely point.

It was a match which Dynamos should have wrapped up the points in the first half, leaving Ndiraya with a lot to ponder.

“It was a winnable game, we created lots of chances today, the same way we did when we played WhaWha last week but we are coming short in terms of finishing. In the end this is what happens. It’s the precision that let us down today. Its two points dropped today and we are all disappointed,” Ndiraya.

“I’m also disappointed with the way we conceded, the game was almost over. It is disappointing for a coach to concede from set-plays because the players have all the time to organise themselves. We lacked concentration. It started when we conceded the silly corner kick because we were not supposed to give that away in the first place. We were sluggish, and it’s disappointing, especially considering it’s a second game that we have conceded from a corner kick. We devote training sessions for these set-pieces and for us to concede in such a manner is quite disappointing.”

Bulawayo City coach Farai Tawachera, who was in charge of his first match after taking over from fired Philani Ncube, was satisfied with the point.

The former assistant coach was shown a red card after invading the pitch when Dynamos was awarded the penalty, which he felt was “harsh.”

He explained how he set up his team yesterday to earn a point.

“It was a tactically balanced match. I know how Dynamos play so we sat down and looked at their strength… which channel are they so strong and we closed that channel. They are strong on the Bill (Antonio) channel, but if you realise there was nothing today. We closed it and allowed them to play on the other side and that is what we had planned so we were spot on. It was a difficult match but we kept our composure even after they had scored,” Tawachera said.

Dynamos were in control of the game from the onset and should have taken the lead inside the opening minute when Alex Orotomal, rewarded with a start for scoring the team’s winner last week, was slipped through by Emmanuel Paga, but the big Nigerian striker shot tamely at the keeper.

The lively Nadolo, the other scorer last week, also had a golden chance moments later but skied his effort from a yard out.

Antonio, Godknows Murwira and Trevor Mavunga also came close in a dominant half.

The visitors got one chance in the first half when the ball pinged to Welcome Ndiweni inside the box in the 15th minute, but the veteran midfielder shot straight at goalkeeper Taimon Mvula.

Nadolo finally found the breakthrough, when he reacted quickly to a rebound after his initial header had been saved. The midfielder riffled into the nets via the upright.

Dynamos never looked in danger until the final minutes of the match when Syvester Appiah conceded a needless corner from which Moyo capitalised to ensure that DeMbare’s lead at the top remained two points.

Crucially for City, the draw means they snapped a five-match losing streak but they remain bottom of the log with seven points, a massive 27 behind their opponents yesterday.

Teams

Dynamos: T Mvula, S Appiah, F Makarati, S Nyahwa, T Mavunga (P Jaure, 70′), G Murwira, K Nadolo, B Antonio, E Paga (Eonde, 70′), A Orotomal (M Ofori, 60′)

Bulawayo City: R Muza, V Moyo, L Sibanda, W Munorwei, L Ncube, D Jaricha, W Ndiweni, G Mutungamiri (R Sibanda, 87′), M Ncube, C Machisi, N Ndlovu