DYNAMOS coach Kalisto Pasuwa did his best to maintain a calm face as he tried to explain his side’s latest home defeat, this time to Buffaloes.
HENRY MHARA SPORTS REPORTER
Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Buffaloes . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . (1) 1
As he trudged towards the journalists at the final whistle, the beleaguered coach looked a broken man. The latest blip was his side’s third loss this season, all coming almost in the same fashion: Dominating possession, creating, wasting chances and then conceding an odd goal to lose the contest 0-1.
The fact that the team lost only four matches the whole of last season on their way to capturing their third straight league title put into perspective how things have deteriorated at the club.
Midfielder Roy Mwenga punished the Dynamos defence with a low header from a Moses Gutu corner-kick deep into first half stoppage time.
This was a second straight defeat for the league champions after their 0-1 loss to Chapungu in the mid-week last week.
One will have to dig deep into the history books to find the last time Dynamos lost two matches on the bounce.
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Reports of a fallout between Pasuwa and club chairman Keni Mubaiwa emerged this week while the club supporters seem to have lost their trust on the coach.
They were relentless in their abuse on the coach as he strolled back into the dressing room after the match.
When quizzed about the alleged fall-out with his boss, Pasuwa refused to comment. He was, however, open to discuss the team’s recent poor performance.
“It’s bad for the club and we will have to sit down and see how and where we need to improve. We are creating chances, but we are failing to covert them. It was the same thing again today (yesterday) where we created good chances, but we couldn’t utilise them and they (Buffaloes) had one chance and they buried it,” Pasuwa said.
The major letdown for Pasuwa has been his strikers — especially Washington Pakamisa — who continue to miss chances, most of them glaring.
With news emerging that the Premier Soccer League is refusing to register returning Rodreck Mutuma, there is no doubt Pasuwa will continue to suffer. Club secretary Webster Chikengezha said they had submitted the relevant papers to the league, who in turn said the striker is not a free agent and cannot be registered.
The lanky striker was present at the National Sports Stadium yesterday and was given a rapturous applause by the supporters as he walked into the giant facility just before the start of the match.
Having collected four points from his last two visits in the capital, Buffaloes started like a team enjoying the confidence that comes with momentum. But, it was the hosts who created the better chances and could have taken the lead as early as the fourth minute.
Tafadzwa Rusike managed to create some space inside the six yard box, but skied his effort. It set the tone of what followed throughout the match for the Harare giants. On 16th minute, the lively Anesu Gondo beat the outdrawn Buffaloes goalkeeper Blessing Mwandimutsira on speed but he somehow missed the target, hitting the side netting.
Ocean Mushure, Walter Mukanga and Ronald Chitiyo had good chances to put their side ahead, but it was not to be.
The visitors were far less of a threat to the Dynamos goal, but as the home side continued to miss chances, there was a feeling that they would be punished.
Pakamisa wasted the best chance of the match right at the stroke of halftime when he scuffed his effort after being put through by Patson Jaure.
The punishment was immediate. A low corner into the box was allowed to run across the face of goal and Mwenga popped up at the other end to head home. That was Buffaloes’ first shot on target the whole first half.
That pattern of play followed in the second half and Buffaloes had a fortunate escape when referee Norman Matemera ruled off Mukanga’s goal for an offside on 78th minute although his first assistant had his flag down.
Dynamos pressed for an equaliser, but in the end, it was Mwenga’s first half goal that separated the sides on yet another disappointing afternoon for the league champions.
