Listen carefully to Pfumbidzai’s lecture

FROM Vitalis “Digital” Takawira’s crawling style to the late Adam “Adamski” Ndlovu’s machine gun act, Zimbabwean soccer fans have been served with scrumptious celebration dishes over the years.

Ronald Pfumbidzai took the art to another level.

His celebration is still the talking point days after Caps United registered a historic 3-1 victory over Egyptian powerhouse Zamalek.

As he wheeled away in celebration after scoring Caps United’s opener, the thought of becoming a temporary teacher crossed his mind and Pfumbidzai summoned his teammates for a brief talk.

Carlton Munzabwa, Ronald Chitiyo, Abbas Amidu, Devon Chafa, Phineas Bamusi and Tafadzwa Rusike responded and followed Pfumbidzai to the track around the field of play at the National Sports Stadium and sat around the star left-back.

Munzabwa and Chitiyo raised their hands like students in a class as skipper Hardlife Zvirekwi listened attentively to Pfumbidzai’s lesson.

Bamusi looked baffled, Chafa put on a sarcastic smile while Amidu stared motionless at a gesturing Pfumbidzai. Was it rehearsed? “No, not at all. That was instinctive,” Pfumbidzai told The Sunday Mail Sport.

“When I scored that goal it just occurred to me that I had to call for a meeting on the way forward. I assumed the role of a teacher with my teammates becoming my students.

“What’s next, I asked them. I also asked what we had to do after that goal. You saw Rooney (Chitiyo) and others raising their hands; yes, they were taking turns to give their answers. Some said we needed to shut it out, some said we needed to be more careful and the good thing is that we won the game.”

The goal against Zamalek was Pfumbidzai’s third in the Caf Champions League.

The Caps United man is the highest-scoring defender in the minileague stage thanks to the freedom coach Lloyd Chitembwe gives him on the flank.

“My strength is going forward and the good thing is that the coach encourages me to overlap. That’s why you will find me in the opponent box more often,” said Pfumbidzai, who believes Caps United can upset USM Alger and qualify for the quarterfinals when the two teams clash at the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 this evening.

“We just have to put in 100 percent effort regardless of whatever circumstances. There might be off the field issues at the club but this game against USM Alger is the game of our lives.

“We just need to fight. Everyone in the team wants to earn a foreign move and these are the games which can make you as a player,” he added.