DeMbare bury Etoile

From Petros Kausiyo in SOUSSE,Tunisia

Etoile Du Sahel (Tunisia).............................(0) 0 Dynamos (Zimbabwe)................................. (1) 1





l Dynamos win 2-0 on aggregate.

DYNAMIC Dynamos turned on their African Champions League magic to sensationally send holders Etoile Sportive Du Sahel reeling out in an exciting second round, second leg tie at the Stade Olympique de Sousse here last night.

Striker Benjamin Marere’s stunning 25 metre volley assured DeMbare of a memorable victory and silenced a vociferous 15 000 crowd who were rooting for the hosts.

The Harare giants now advance to the mini-league phase of the competition on a 2-0 aggregate win.

Marere found the winner with fine volley struck on the turn after being sent through by veteran midfielder Desmond Maringwa in the 28th minute.

The goal was just the tonic Dynamos needed to calm their nerves after surviving an early onslaught from Etoile.

Dynamos were pinned back for much of the opening 25 minutes with their only attempt at goal coming in the 16th minute when Marere shot wide.

But as coach David Mandigora had been hammering to his charges all week; Dynamos needed to absorb everything that Etoile threw at them, especially in the first half hour.

Mandigora’s men responded in style to their coach’s clarion call, not only absorbing the Etoile early pressure but also capitalising on their counter raids to score the crucial goal that left the African Champions stunned.

Although Marere grabbed the winner; the star of the Dynamos show was easily goalkeeper Willard Manyatera.

The Dynamos goalkeeper pulled off a string of crucial saves either side of the break as Etoile piled on the pressure.

Manyatera was called into action as early as the eighth minute when the hosts forced two corners inside a minute.

In the 11th minute their skipper Mehdi Meriah’s long range effort just flew wide with Manyatera off his line.

Ten minutes later the Dynamos goalkeeper was forced to tip over for a corner a flashing header by Mehdi Ben Diffalar following a cross from the right by Etoile’s Ghanaian midfielder Moussa Narry.

As pressure mounted on DeMbare Manyatera came to his side’s rescue punching the ball to safety after his defenders had been beaten by a long ball.

But Dynamos refused to be intimidated and their swift counter attacks soon paid dividends when Maringwa won possession deep in his half; made a spirited run through the middle before laying on the ball for Marere who connected first time, his volley leaving a motionless Etoile goalkeeper Aymen Methlouli a mere spectator.

Etoile Du Sahel thought they had found the equaliser in the 38th minute when their star forward Amine Chermiti fired a grounder but Brighton Tuwaya ghosted from nowhere to clear the ball from the line.

The tide of the Etoile pressure was to continue into the second period with Nigerian forward Muriola Ogunbiyi firing just wide.

Again Dynamos kept on relying on the counter attacks.

The Harare giants however, had their best chance to get a second goal when Marere turned provider sending through midfielder Justice Majabvi in the 54th minute.

But the Warriors midfielder somehow just drove his low effort wide of goal in a face to face situation with the goalkeeper.

Majabvi who had another good game will on reflection know he should have picked his spot and driven that one home.

Mandigora then made some tactical changes as he also sought to exploit the gaps being created in the Etoile rearguard.

The reigning Premiership Coach of the Year brought on skipper Murape Murape for a rather subdued Wonder Sithole in the 63rd minute before sending on David Shoko to replace Marere who had run himself to a standstill.

With Guinea referee Keita Yakhouba adding on five minutes of optional time Mandigora sought to slow down the Etoile attacks and also brought on William Mapfumo for Edward Sadomba.

But by then the angry Tunisians had started streaming out of the stadium while it was already party time for a watching Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Libya and Tunisia George Vengesa; the Dynamos executive and the rest of the DeMbare travelling party.

Teams

Etoile: A. Methlouli; M. Meriah; S.Benradhia; A. Eljemal; R. Felhi; A.Nafka; M. Narry; A. Gilson; A. Chemiti; M. Ben Diffalar; M. Ogunbuyi

Dynamos; W. Manyatera; L. Maphuya; R. Mhlanga; B. Tuwaya; T. Sweswe ; S. Mutenheri ; D. Maringwa; J. Majabvi; B. Marere (D. Shoko _82nd min); E. Sadomba (W. Mapfumo 90th min; W. Sithole (M.Murape 63rd min).