Forget about Luanda, FCP told Dazzy Kapenya
Dazzy Kapenya

Dazzy Kapenya

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
FC PLATINUM have been urged to forget about the Luanda nightmare when they take on Angola’s Desportivo de Agosto in the second leg of the Total Caf Champions League preliminary round match at Mandava Stadium on Wednesday.

The Zvishavane-based side collapsed like a deck of cards at the Estadio 11 Novembre last Sunday in Luanda and fell 3-0, making their second leg a mountainous task as they need to hit four goals without the Angolans replying if they are to progress to the next round of the tournament.

The scoreline though was not a true reflection of the performance of the Norman Mapeza-coached boys as they really tried their level best but as they say in the local language in the coal mining town of Hwange, ‘bhora nikushosha,’ the three goals gave the home side a seemingly healthy cushion heading into Wednesday’s second leg.

However, five-time championship winning Highlanders legend and 2002 Soccer Star of the Year winner, Dazzy Kapenya, who was part of the trailblazing Bosso squad that tore into shreds the mighty Cameroonians, Sable de Batie, at Barbourfields Stadium only for their opponents to turn on the power in the second leg in Yaoundé, believes Pure Platinum can still do the same and stun the Angolans.

Kapenya said FC Platinum just need to have self belief and show total disrespect for their opponents.

“We went to Cameroon leading 3-0 but things changed painfully for us when we played in the second leg and got booted out so I believe FC Platinum still have a chance to overturn that defeat and progress to the next round. Its unfortunate though that pressure is on FC Platinum and they have to prepare thoroughly – mentally and physically – for them to turn the tables. There is nothing much that they can do now about the result of the first match, they just have to put it behind their backs and focus on what they must do to proceed to the next round. It’s a brand new game now,” said the former national team defender, one of the rare breed of talented footballers to ever command the defence of the national squad.

He said now that Mapeza and his backroom staff know the kind of opponent they are facing, it has to be easy to counter them.

“Their coaches have studied how those guys play and can now come up with tactical plans for the encounter in order to counter those Angolans. As new boys in the African Safari, their expectations and plans for the first leg turned out to be a completely different thing on the ground from what they had planned but now in the second leg they can overturn that if they want to and I strongly believe they can,” said Kapenya.

The Angolans are expected to touch down on Monday, two days before battle in Zvishavane whose winner will either face Bidvest Wits of South Africa or  Pamplemousse of Mauritius  in the first round proper of the tournament on the weekend of March 9-11 before the second leg a few days later.

Bidvest Wits carry a 2-0 scoreline heading into this weekend’s second leg encounter on the road.

If FC Platinum and de Agosto end the match deadlocked 3-3 on aggregate, the match will head into the dreaded penalty shootout, according to the regulations of the tournament.— @skhumoyo2000.

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