lnnocent Kurira
TITLE-CHASING Dynamos failed to sparkle in their defeat to Bulawayo Chiefs at Barbourfields on a Saturday afternoon Tanaka Shandirwa was out with an injury.
It was clear he has been the driving force behind the team’s recent success and Dynamos were nowhere near the side that dominated Highlanders at the same venue the previous week.
It was Dynamo’s first loss at Barbourfields Stadium this season.
It was the second against Chiefs who beat DeMbare 3-2 in the first round of fixtures at the National Sports Stadium. The diminutive midfielder has been one of the team’s standout performers for DeMbare this season.
Kante, as he is affectionately known, suffered the injury when he was stamped on by Highlanders defender Andrew Mbeba in an off-the-ball incident in last week’s ill-tempered clash which was abandoned due to crowd trouble.
“They did their homework. If you see Shadreck Nyahwa is a bit slow and we had to push Junior Makunike into an unusual forward position. He is used to playing in a defensive role. We missed someone with the energy to go up and down the pitch like Shandirwa,” said Dynamos coach Genesis Mangombe.
Dynamos expect Shandirwa back in training this week.
Dynamos captain Frank Makarati survived a red card after pushing Bulawayo Chiefs striker Obriel Chirinda to the ground in the second half
“Maybe he was a bit harsh, but he was frustrated. These guys (Chiefs) were delaying play and doing all the dirty tactics.
“He was frustrated. But I’m happy he controlled his emotions, maybe he was supposed to be red carded. We don’t accept that. We will go back to the drawing board and tell the leader to lead by example,” said Mangombe.
“It was a good game, but we failed to match our opponents in the sense that if you want to win this game, try to play it fast and have so many entries in the box.
“But in the first half we failed to do that and in the second half we tried to rectify the problem.
“We should have tried to defend that second goal better. That’s the game of football; there are times you lose a match through a silly mistake.”