At Rufaro Stadium yesterday, the air was thick enough to choke on. For months, the ghosts of relegation had haunted the corridors of Zimbabwe’s biggest football club. But when the final whistle pierced the tension of a goalless draw against FC Platinum, the nightmare finally receded.

Amidst the eruption of song, dance, and sheer relief from supporters who had endured a year of boycotts and empty seats, coach Kelvin Kaindu stood as the calm eye of the storm. He had inherited a sinking ship, a giant drowning in the murky waters of the relegation zone. When he arrived, he told the dressing room they needed a miracle.

Yesterday, standing on the touchline after securing the crucial point that lifted them to 39 points, Kaindu confirmed that his prophecy had come to pass

While the fans celebrated the math an 11-match unbeaten run that hauled the team from 17th to 12th place Kaindu celebrated the metaphysics. For the Zambian tactician, this survival story was written not just on the tactics board, but in the stars.

Reflecting on the gravity of the task he accepted mid-season, Kaindu admitted that logic suggested he should have stayed away.

“First of all, it was a very difficult decision for me to make to come and join Dynamos, looking at the position where Dynamos was,” Kaindu revealed. “I think I had about three or four clubs that probably wanted me to join them. But I looked at Dynamos and the points that they had.”

Ultimately, he suggests, the move was an act of spiritual obedience rather than career pragmatism.

“One important thing is that sometimes when you are a child of God, you move in the direction of God. And the Lord says, go to Dynamos. I looked at the way the Lord goes,” he said.

The result was a "suffocating" fight for survival that saw heavyweights like Highlanders and Chicken Inn also scraping by on 39 points, while GreenFuel, Bikita Minerals, Yadah, and Kwekwe United plunged into relegation. For Kaindu, the escape defied the odds.

“Honestly, I think this is a miracle. There are people who say there is no miracle in football. But what we have witnessed today for Dynamos to survive, honestly, it’s a miracle.”

The miracle required one final act of grit. Going into "Super Sunday," Dynamos were one of eight teams balancing on the precipice. They simply needed to avoid defeat.

The tension was palpable. As added time dragged on, impatient voices rose against referee Thabani Rozario, with frustration spilling into jeers and flying objects. But the team held firm.

Warriors coach Marian “Mario” Marinica and management member Shariff Mussa watched from the stands as DeMbare and FC Platinum traded blows without landing a knockout punch. In the 14th minute, Jairos Kasondo slipped a neat ball to Leeroy Mavunga, who dragged his shot wide. On the other end, goalkeeper Prince Tafiremutsa became the hero, saving Dynamos in the 78th minute by blocking Thubelihle Jubane’s close-range effort.

While Dynamos celebrated a new lease on life, the match marked a somber curtain call for the opposition. After more than a decade of dominance, Norman Mapeza used the post-match interview to announce his departure from FC Platinum.

“I’m stepping down from my post as head coach of FC Platinum, so this is my last game today,” Mapeza announced. “I’ve been at FC Platinum for the past ten and a half years. I think what I didn’t do, I don’t have to explain to anybody. But this is my last game for FC Platinum today, so I’m stepping down.”

Gracious in his exit, Mapeza analyzed the deadlock that ensured Dynamos’ safety.

“Then coming to the game, I think it was a good game of football. First half, I think Dynamos had good opportunities. In the second half, I think that opportunity we got and we ended up missing,” Mapeza said.

“That was our situation, I think, for the whole of the season. We had opportunities, but you don’t need ten opportunities to win a game of football. Just that opportunity maybe could have made us one.”

He concluded with praise for his young squad:

“But look, at the end of the day, it’s a nil all draw. I’m here for the boys, they worked so hard. If you look at the squad, most of these guys are new.”

As the sun set on the season, the relief at Rufaro was a tangible thing a "long overdue painkiller" for a fanbase that had suffered too much.

Kaindu made it clear that a club of Dynamos’ stature should never be in a position where mere survival demands celebration. Yet, as the songs of the fans echoed around the stadium, acknowledging the escape from the drop, even the skeptics had to agree with the coach: pulling this team back from the brink was, indeed, a miracle.