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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor

FOR an hour and 25 minutes on Sunday, CAPS United resembled a cloned football version of Jose Augustin Julio Feria, the Colombian boxer who suffered a first round destruction at the hands of Charles Manyuchi on Friday night, with the Green Machine being pounded by a barrage of missiles launched by their biggest city rivals.

Pushed into a cul-de-sac by the spirited Glamour Boys, who had chosen the high profile of the Harare Derby to suddenly punch above their weight after a pathetic season in which they have been an insult to the reputation of greatness they have forged for themselves, CAPS United looked helpless.And certainly hopeless on a defining afternoon for the championship race.

A 19-game unbeaten run in their National Sports Stadium fortress, dating back to July last year, in which they had won 12 games and drawn seven, scoring 33 goals and conceding just 12 en-route to an impressive 75.44 percent success rate, was now on the line.

And about to be ended by the brutality, and at times brilliance, of their biggest rivals.

The moments of brilliance from the Glamour Boys might have been few, and far between, something that was keeping in tandem with their poor season but Masimba Mambare’s second half beauty, stroking the ball with a touch of class to lob it beyond goalkeeper Jorum Muchambo, as he applied the fitting execution to a flowing move by DeMbare as they doubled their lead, was as good a goal as they come.

And when rookie forward Tawanda Macheke got to the end of a ball that bounced into his path, to score Dynamos’ third goal, CAPS United looked well beaten in their home ground as the Glamour Boys fans — outnumbered by their rivals in the stands — grouped together and started to rub salt into the wounds with songs that mocked the Green Machine.

Incredibly, substitute Wisdom Mutasa even had two bites of the cherry, to increase DeMbare’s lead to 4-0, but first he saw his tame effort pushed back into his path by Muchambo and then he could only direct the rebound into the side-netting even though there was a good opening for him to aim for with the ‘keeper having been eliminated from the equation.

With minutes ticking away and CAPS United unable to provide a response, on an afternoon where fate appeared to be against them as they crashed an effort against the upright, summoned a world-class save from ‘keeper Ashley Reyners, who then somehow kept another effort with his legs, they were set for a hammering which could have had serious repercussions on their fight for their first league title in 11 years.

Coach Lloyd Mutasa, who has suffered badly as he struggles to clear the mess left behind by Portuguese gaffer Paulo Silva, appeared to be enjoying his finest hour with his men set for a comprehensive victory but his decision to introduce attacking players, his son Wisdom and Valentine Ndaba, in the final 10 minutes of a contest they were leading 3-0, when he needed to reinforce his defensive lines, was a surprise and would come back to haunt him in spectacular fashion.

Dynamos have struggled, all season, with balls swung high into the heart of their defence but when gangly defender Dennis Dauda nodded a rebound home, with five minutes of regulation time left, it appeared more of a consolation, some damage control to an afternoon that had gone horribly for CAPS United with Muchambo gifting Rodreck Mutuma with the opener, Mambare scoring a beauty and Macheke even finding little to celebrate about when he made it three.

What the Glamour Boys had probably forgotten, as they partied prematurely, was that this CAPS United side had built their formidable lengthy unbeaten home run on the back of an indomitable spirit which saw them come from two goals down, to draw 2-2 against ZPC Kariba at Rufaro, and then pick themselves up, from the shattering experience of conceding a last-gasp equaliser against How Mine, to pour forward and grab the winner with the final touch of the match.

And when Amon Kambanje further reduced the deficit for CAPS United, once again taking advantage of DeMbare’s fatal shortcomings when it comes with dealing with high balls floated into their area, to head home at the back post, the Green Machine were well and truly back in this contest — having scored twice in three minutes.

They now had the momentum and, with panic spreading among their opponents, a corner kick provided them with the chance to pump another high ball into the area and when Dauda headed home firmly, to double his tally for the day in a matter of minutes, bedlam erupted inside the giant stadium as CAPS United completed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the domestic Premiership.

In the countdown to this match, former Dynamos defender Chamu Musanhu told our sister newspaper, The Sunday Mail, he will never forget that afternoon, in 1994, when they came back from two goals down at half-time to score four times in the second half, with Simon Chuma producing a show for the archives down the wing, to win the NICOZ Africa Day Cup.

“It is difficult to tell which one was the best derby because every time Dynamos plays CAPS United, it’s war. But I think the 1994 Africa Day final is the one I remember most,” Musanhu said.

“We were 0-2 down at half-time and CAPS United looked like they were running away with the Cup. We came back a rejuvenated side in the second half and scored four times in the last 15 minutes with Digital (Vitalis Takawira) and Doctor (Tauya Murewa) the main actors. It ended 4-2 in favour of DeMbare.”

Mphumelelo Dzowa (25th min) and Joe Mugabe (38th min) gave CAPS United a 2-0 lead, and a 3-1 aggregate advantage at the break, with two away goals in the kit, and it appeared Mission Impossible for Dynamos because even if they scored twice, in the second half, they would still lose on away goals rule.

But those Glamour Boys, like the Green Machine on Sunday, refused to throw in the towel and were rewarded for their spirits.

Chuma drew a foul, 10 minutes after the break, for a penalty converted by Francis Shonhayi and when the winger danced into space in the 72nd minute, thanks to some superb footwork and pace, he created room to deliver a cross that was powered past Brenna Msiska by the impressive Tauya Murewa.

At 2-2, CAPS United were still winning, on away goals rule, and they appeared to have withstood the barrage of attacks until, three minutes into time added on when, once again, Chuma teased his marker on the right and his cross was headed home by Hope Chihota.

Amid the celebrations at Rufaro, Vitalis Takawira made it four, after Msiska had spilled Murewa’s effort, and one of the greatest comebacks, in the duels between the two giants, had been completed.

Msiska was at the giant stadium on Sunday and, seeing his old team produce such a storming fight back, must have cheered his spirits 22 years after their dreams were destroyed in spectacular fashion by the old enemy.