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Zimbabwe: Dembare Brace for D-Day
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 Published by the government of Zimbabwe |
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The Herald (Harare)
6 May 2008
Posted to the web 6 May 2008
Petros Kausiyo
Harare
ZIMBABWE soccer kings Dynamos, bracing for a rough ride in Tunisia, have been boosted by the return to training of two of the players who featured prominently in their victory over Etoile Du Sahel at Gwanzura - Desmond Maringwa and Brighton Tuwaya.
Dynamos, who are scheduled to fly out to Tunisia tomorrow, have revealed their worry about the possibility of a hostile reception from the North Africans when they arrive for their African Champions League showdown at the Stade Olympique de Sousse in Sousse on Saturday night.
The Harare giants, who face their defining moment in their bid to secure a dance in the money-spinning mini- league phase, will travel to Sousse carrying a slender 1-0 lead they achieved before a packed Gwanzura two weeks ago.
But there had also been concern in the Dynamos camp following injuries to two of the heroes of their fine showing in the first leg Maringwa (groin) and Tuwaya (shoulder).
Veteran midfielder Maringwa also struck the goal that gave Dynamos a slight advantage and a huge psychological boost with a brilliant header off a Reuben Mhlanga delivery five minutes into the second half.
That goal also gave Dynamos the kind of advantage they needed going into the cauldron of Sousse.
It also left the DeMbare players eager to travel to the North African country for the second leg, as they believe they could cause the biggest upset of this year's edition of the Champions League.
Dynamos, who were forced into inaction over the weekend because of the Warriors' African Nations Championships first round commitments against Namibia, continued with their preparations yesterday with coach David Mandigora happy to welcome back Maringwa and Tuwaya.
Mandigora said although they did not have a league assignment at the weekend, during which he was also attached to the national team, the rest of the Dynamos squad had continued with their preparations.
"We did not break for the weekend, they (the players) were in training and we also trained as a full squad again today (yesterday).
"We are also happy that Brighton and Desmond, who missed our last game against Kiglon because of injuries, are back in training," Mandigora said.
The Dynamos coach said he would also have his selection options widened for the second leg as the attacking pair of Sebastian Mutizirwa and midfielder-cum striker Lazarus Muhoni will also be available.
Mutizirwa could not be considered for the first leg battle against the Tunisians as he was attending a family bereavement.
Former Black Rhinos forward Muhoni, scorer of Dynamos' first Champions League goal in this campaign -- the 1-0 triumph over Royal Leopards of Swaziland in Mbabane -- sat out the second round first leg clash against Etoile Du Sahel because of suspension.
The combative forward had picked two yellow cards in the previous matches.
"It is good that everyone who is registered is training at the moment and this gives us a wider base from which to make our selection and we will continue with as much preparations as we can for the game," Mandigora said.
Ironically, Dynamos have seemingly reserved their best for the Champions League matches where they put on more convincing shows than their overall performance in the domestic league.
The Harare giants have only one league victory over ailing Lancashire Steel to show for their domestic title defence with the other four matches against CAPS United, Eastern Lions, Masvingo United and Kiglon all yielding unimpressive draws.
But Mandigora's men have certainly been a different proposition in the continental game with some fine performances in the home victories over Royal Leopards, Costa Do Sol of Mozambique and the big battle against Etoile Du Sahel.
Dynamos are looking at putting in much of the hard work before they leave for their long trip to Sousse, which will take them through Johannesburg, Cairo and Tunis.
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Club secretary-general Tawanda Murerekwa, who is expected to leave Harare today as an advance party, yesterday stressed that Dynamos were under no illusion about the possibility of the tough time likely to await them in Sousse.
"We are ready for it. We are expecting the worst given the behaviour of the Tunisians here.
"But our main worry at the moment is the connecting flights which are likely to leave our players fatigued.
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