By Prince Chese
Dulibadzimu United (1) 2 Shurugwi FC (1) 1
SIMENJANI Muleya rose from the bench to torment visitors Shurugwi FC upfront with his confidence behind the ball and decisive runs that made the home crowd want more in an afternoon that belonged to gangly defender Loius Matambo’s basic effective soccer.
Forget about some Dulis official behaviour to reporters, the team did its job and Matambo returning to his boyhood team after a spell at Bishopstone, displayed basic soccer, aerial strength and perfect tackle timing.
He never put a foot wrong and was easily the man of the match giving his all including his skilful throw-ins and easy handling of a nagging left winger from the visitors he shut out.
Another display worth note was Oscar Muzezani, Evidence Chiraswa and dependable leftback Courage Vhurombe who all had a good day in office.
Courage is courageous and Chiraswa’s first half whistling shot rolled eyes.
Sime, as his jersey read, coming in for central striker Tatenda Coffee, the super-sub Muleya secured the thrilling opening winner for Duli-Duli whose message to the Central region is clear they are a force from the South.
Despite a stubborn display from the visitors, the crowd called “MaShurugwi”, Dulis managed to claw back from a goal down to secure maximum points in front of a vocal home crowd.
The match, which lived up to its Division One billing, showcased high-intensity football but was marred by late officiating controversies.
At one time the referee failed to remember who to give a yellow card when hardworking Phumudzo “Aguerro” was swept off his feet in a career threatening tackle that ordinarily earns red.
The referee saw the foul but missed the type and when he arrived at the spot, failed to identify the culprit who slipped into his jungle of same height players.
Later the referee had to investigate while fans waited.
He was to make some funny calls later and may have failed to manage Shurugwi skipper Meluleki Manes who several times was rough to Aguerro.
The contest began with both sides testing each other’s defensive resolve. Shurugwi was not a pushover, and completely settled away from home.
The visitors drew first blood in the 32nd minute when a clinical free-kick from Manesi, their midfield maestro, struck from just outside the 30 metres, rose above the Dulibadzimu wall and found the back of the net with goalkeeper Mfunanji Malunga slow.
That set-piece was a marvel, and a result of the few times Aguerro had to stand up against Manesi who had been all over him with crude marking.
It was a case of David felling Goliath when the pint-sized Aguerro fell Manesi who later rose to score.
The home side responded almost immediately.
In the 37th minute, Ronaldinho Muleya stood tall and hungry at the end of a well tqken corner tucked in to wild applause from the home supporters binging hosts to level the scores before the halftime whistle.
The second half remained a stalemate until the 77th minute, when Dulibadzimu Head Coach Polite Bhegedhe introduced Leam Mabidi and Simenjani Muleya to inject fresh energy.
The tactical gamble paid off instantly as Simenjani Muleya found the winner shortly after coming on, sealing the 2-1 comeback.
His score had always been coming as he started being a thorn soon after setting foot.
Despite the win, Bhegedhe was not satisfied expressing a mixture of relief and concern regarding his team’s cohesion.
“We are very happy for the three points, but as a coach, I am not happy with our play. We know our normal game here at home. This is a building phase because 75% of our squad from last season moved on, so we have a lot to learn.”
On the other side, Shurugwi Assistant Coach Lyton Muoni praised his team’s performance but blamed the officiating.
“For our first game in Division One, we played very well and created chances. Unfortunately, we failed to convert. However, the officiating was poor the second goal for Duliz was a clear offside, but it stood. We will look to take three points at home in our next fixture.”
His offside claim is however questionable because the assistant referee on the far side, strict all afternoon, kept his flag down signalling he was convinced by Sime who came in to destroy a last man format at the back Shurugwi had used all afternoon.
Sime marked that last defender and slipped and lost the last man to slide and place his slow pace winner past a stunned keeper who blamed his defenders.
A Shurugwi player saw yellow for dissent when he confronted the assistant referee.
Midfielder Leam Mabidi thanked the home fans for their support, stating that the team is focused on improving for the upcoming matches.
Shurugwi midfielder Meluleki Manes echoed a sentiment of resilience, noting that the team has identified their mistakes and will “polish up” to ensure a win in their next outing.
Dulibadzimu Team Manager Ferdinand ” Mashefu” Matete was rude to a reporter asking him who had invited him to the match and refused to comment.