It’s a special cup to celebrate independence in our country – Zimbabwe Dynamos coach

Zimbabwe Dynamos coach praises troops

JOHANNESBURG, April 20 (ANA) – Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya praised the efforts of his troops following their 2-0 win over Highlanders to win the President’s Independence Trophy as domestic football returned to Zimbabwe, in Harare, on Sunday.

“Of course I am happy. It’s a special cup to celebrate the Independence of our country,” said Ndiraya.

“That’s the importance of this day and this game more than anything else. So we are quite happy we are remaining with the trophy here.”

It was the first domestic football match played in Zimbabwe since the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March last year.

Trevor Mavhunga put Dynamos ahead inside six minutes after veteran Highlanders goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda misjudged the flight of the ball from a long-range shot. An own goal from Peter Muduhwa sealed the win.

“It was a good display,” Ndiraya said. “I think we were solid in defence. We managed to restrict Highlanders to a few scoring chances. But what was important was the stage that we were given today to showcase our teams.

“I also think we haven’t won this trophy in a long time. The game was a bit drab because of fitness issues but I thought we did well. I thought Highlanders controlled the match but we took advantage of the mistakes that they made and scored those two goals.

“Credit to Highlanders. You could see that they are a team. We are not yet a team but I hope that as we go forward we take confidence from the win we got today. So I am happy for the team and happy for the fans. I just hope that we gel and play some good football.”

The start of the new domestic league season is expected to be announced soon. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman