The question every football fan is asking right now is not ‘who was at Ellis Robins yesterday?’, it’s who wasn’t.

Promotion-chasing Northern Region Division One rivals Golden Eagles and Simba Bhora clashed in one of, if not the most eagerly-awaited football match this season.

For a match in the second tier of Zimbabwean football, the hype it had and the electric atmosphere before, during and after the game, was unbelievable.

The Golden Eagles leadership say close to 4000 people attended yesterday’s clash, which saw Dean Chunga rising high to head home a 90th minute equalizer after Knowledge Mapuka had thrust the hosts ahead just after the hour mark.

Big names in local football were in attendance. National Teams General Manager Wellington Mpnadare, Northern Region chairman Martin Kweza, former Warriors defender Dumisani Mpofu, former Warriors and CAPS United forward Alois Bunjira, CAPS United coach Lloyd Chitembwe, Harare City coach Taurai Mangwiro, Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya, his assistants Naison Muchekela and Gift ‘Umbro’ Muzadzi, former Dynamos coach Lloyd ‘Mablanyo’ Chigove, the Harare giants’ chairman Isaiah Mupfurutsa, were all there.

Players from the PSL, including DeMbare quartet of captain Partson Jaure, Brendan Mpofu, Tymon Mvula and Emmanuel Jalai, as well as CAPS United’s Devon Chafa, were spotted at the game.

Even the Harare derby between Dynamos and CAPS at the National Sports Stadium in June, had neither the hype nor atmosphere yesterday’s game had but that is of course, a conversation people are not ready to have.

Picture credit: Libertino