Aristica Cioaba suffered his first defeat in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League since taking charge of Dynamos as Chicken Inn secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday.

The defeat brought an end to Dynamos’ impressive second-quarter unbeaten run and further dented the Glamour Boys’ hopes of keeping pace with title-chasing leaders Scottland.

Cioaba, who took over from Genesis Mangombe, had previously suffered defeat only in the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup, making Sunday’s loss his first league defeat since assuming the Dynamos hot seat.

Dynamos started the match brightly, with Wisdom Mutasa firing from outside the box in the 16th minute, although his effort sailed over the crossbar.

Five minutes later, the Glamour Boys were awarded a free kick in a promising position, with Mutasa and Gwatidzo standing over the set-piece, but they could not turn the opportunity into a goal.

Chicken Inn gradually grew into the game and began threatening the Dynamos defence. In the 31st minute, Junior Makunike produced a good pass for Charamba, who squared the ball into the box, but the Chicken Inn forward failed to connect with his header.

Makunike was involved again five minutes later when he unleashed a hard, low shot that went narrowly wide.

Dynamos responded through Dzakpasu, who struck a powerful effort from distance in the 39th minute, forcing Chicken Inn goalkeeper Donovan Bernard to stretch as the ball went just wide of his goal.

The two sides continued to trade attacking moments, but neither could find the breakthrough before the break.

Dynamos came close again through Frank Agyemang, whose effort from outside the box took a deflection before Bernard collected the ball safely.

The first half ended goalless. However, at the start of the second half, Cioaba was forced to make a change, introducing Nathan Mutasa for the injured Agyemang.

Chicken Inn eventually broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute through Joseph Tulani, who produced a spectacular strike that could be in contention for goal of the season.

Dynamos immediately pushed forward in search of an equaliser, with Landu heading narrowly wide as the Glamour Boys increased the pressure.

In the 81st minute, Dynamos appealed for a penalty after Perfect Chikwende went down following a challenge inside the box. However, the referee awarded a free kick on the edge of the area instead.

Dynamos continued to press and nearly found an equaliser in the 84th minute, but Nyahwa’s effort went wide.

Chicken Inn held on through the closing stages to secure a valuable victory and complete a league double over Dynamos.

The result leaves Dynamos further behind Scottland in the title race. Before the match, the gap between the two sides stood at eight points, but after Dynamos’ defeat on matchday 27, the difference increased to 11 points.

Dynamos remain on 46 points, while Scottland moved to 58 points, with the Glamour Boys also facing pressure from other title contenders, including Hardrock and Herentals.

Chicken Inn coach Tonderai Ndiraya, who described Dynamos as his home, admitted that the victory came with mixed emotions.

“We completed a double today because Dynamos is my home, and sometimes I feel a bit sad to get one over them, especially when they are fighting for the championship,” Ndiraya said.

“I do understand the frustrations of the fans, but I am employed by Chicken Inn. I also had to fight for a win today after going for so long without winning.”

Ndiraya said Chicken Inn were now focused on finishing the season strongly after being eliminated from the other competitions.

“We are out of the two competitions and then, of course, we are out of this competition as well. So we are just fighting to finish in a better position. Today’s win will go a long, long way in us trying to push up there and probably finish in a much better position than we are in now,” he said.

Cioaba, however, felt Dynamos were denied a penalty during the second half and believed the decision could have changed the outcome of the match.

“I am talking about the referee because, for me, in my opinion, I see it from a short distance and it is a clear penalty,” Cioaba said.

“If it is not a clear penalty, I apologise to the referee. But if it is a clear penalty, I want to know what the decision was because it could have helped us to take one point.”

The defeat means Dynamos now face an uphill battle in their pursuit of the league title, while Chicken Inn will look to build on a victory that could boost their position in the closing stages of the campaign.