Dynamos beat bitter city rivals CAPS United to keep their survival hopes alive

HARARE – Dynamos claimed the bragging rights in the Harare Derby after edging city rivals CAPS United 1-0 at a packed Rufaro Stadium on Sunday.

A goal from Jairos Kasondo proved the difference as the Glamour Boys collected crucial three points to keep their relegation survival hopes alive.

For Makepekepe, the defeat dragged them deeper into the relegation dogfight.

DeMbare are now in 15th place on the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League log with 32 points, the same as CAPS United, who sit 14th courtesy of a better goal difference.

Speaking after the match, Dynamos coach Kelvin Kaindu said: “It can only be a miracle, honestly. Looking at the team, the position we were in, and the number of points we’ve managed to collect — I don’t know.

“We were not scoring; I think we had only managed six goals from 22 games. But now our scoring rate has improved, and we also managed to keep a clean sheet today. We keep pushing.

“At some point, we were very far behind other teams, but with today’s win taking us to 32 points, I’m sure we are now slightly closer to the teams above us. With a bit of luck, in the next few games, we’ll be talking about something else.”

On the other hand, CAPS United coach Ian Bakala praised his players’ performance but lamented their failure to convert chances:

“Winning the game is about scoring goals, which we didn’t do. They performed very well, but at the end of the day, the result matters. Looking at the game, we missed a lot of chances.

“In games like these, chances have to be utilised, and we wasted a lot. They (Dynamos) only got the corner, and they scored. We just have to do much better than this.”

Makepekepe are set for another tough fixture against title contenders Simba Bhora in their next encounter.

After going for three games without a win, the Green Machine will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways although it’s a huge mountain to climb.