In the end it turned into a tennis score, in the worst drubbing suffered by Dynamos on the continental stage in 31 years, on a sorry day for the Glamour Boys when their Champions League boat capsized in the Mediterranean. In tennis, a 6-0 win is the most emphatic way to capture a set, and for 30 years, in which they had played 30-odd games in Africa’s premier inter-club football tournament, DeMbare had avoided such humiliation.

And, crucially, avoided such unnecessary comparisons with a game played with a racket.

In one horrible afternoon in Tunisia on Saturday, the Glamour Boys dented a solid reputation on the continent, which had taken three decades to build, and fell spectacularly from being a giant, worthy a place among the seeded teams, into a punching bag.

The 0-6 defeat at the hands of Esperance in Rades was DeMbare’s worst loss in this tournament, since they made their debut in 1981, and left their reputation, as a giant on the continent, in tatters and inflicted emotional and psychological scars that might take a lifetime to heal.

This defeat should be put in its proper context.

It’s the first time the Glamour Boys have conceded six goals, in one match, on the continent and only the second time, since Zimbabwean teams marked their debut in the competition, that our representative team has lost by such a huge margin.

Highlanders suffered a similar drubbing to Esperance in a Champions League game in Tunis, in June 2003.

Until Saturday, DeMbare’s biggest defeat was a 1-5 thrashing, at the hands of Shooting Stars in Nigeria in 1996.

In just 90 minutes on Saturday, this Class of Glamour Boys conceded twice as many goals as the Class of ’98 conceded, in 540 minutes spread over six tough Champions League group games played in Nigeria, Tunisia, Ghana and here in Zimbabwe.

The Class of ’98 conceded just three goals in six epic group games on the way to winning their mini-league and qualifying for the final where they failed to leap over the final hurdle erected by ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire.

On Saturday, DeMbare played for the FIFTH time against Esperance in the Champions League and, just like in the previous FOUR games, the Glamour Boys ended on the losing side and, crucially, without a goal to their credit.

The head-to-head statistics against the Tunisian giants make grim reading material — FIVE games played against Esperance, ZERO wins for Dynamos, FIVE defeats, ZERO goals scored by the Glamour Boys, ELEVEN goals conceded. When it comes to Esperance, somehow Dynamos simply lose both their defensive shield and attacking prowess and, five times out of five, they have been the losers. The Glamour Boys’ overall record against North African teams in this tournament doesn’t look good either with 31 games played since ’81, ELEVEN won, TWO drawn and EIGHTEEN lost, with the Zimbabweans scoring 25 goals and conceding 42.

Overally, against North African opposition, Zimbabwean clubs have now played 38 games in this tournament, winning just TWELVE, drawing FOUR, losing TWENTY TWO, scoring 30 goals and conceding 55.

For DeMbare, on the eve of their 50th birthday anniversary, Saturday’s capitulation in Tunis will bring a host of questions, and every few answers, in what has been a futile campaign to transfer their domestic dominance onto the continent.

Some will question if Callisto Pasuwa is the right man to take Dynamos forward and their ammunition will be boosted by the fact that the Glamour Boys looked technically lightweight in Tunis and didn’t appear to have a game plan to turn to once their midfield insecurity was exposed.

Lloyd Mutasa was exposed in Algiers last year, and never recovered from that nightmare, but those who believe in Samaita will claim that his team was undone by some atrocious refereeing and, to their eternal credit, still managed to limit the damage to just three goals. On Saturday, Dynamos were already three down in the first half.

But to single out Pasuwa for blame would be grossly unfair because the lessons that should be picked from the disaster in Tunis are not only technical but also administrative because DeMbare have been a disaster-waiting-to-happen on the big stage for some time now.

A team that wasn’t good enough to advance past the first round last year was, for some strange reasons, never strengthened for this year’s campaign and, worse still, they lost Archford Gutu, felt Desmond Maringwa’s leadership was now excess baggage and forgot that Guthrie Zhokinyi would be suspended for four games.

The two Zambians brought under a blaze of publicity remain sidelined and it’s difficult to accept that they are waiting for their work permits when Bosso coach, Kelvin Kaindu, their fellow countryman who came after them, has already been granted his papers.

Those who had banked on the young turks evolving, with experience, into better players this season, will certainly be disappointed because Rodreck Mutuma remains relatively lightweight to be trusted as a gunslinger who can lead the line on the continent.

FIVE Champions League games for the self-styled Prince and only one goal and, crucially, away from home, he creeps into his shell and in THREE games away from Rufaro, he has ZERO goals, and the frustration appears to have turned him into a rebel, who felt his battle was with the referee and not Esperance, on Saturday.

Something has happened to Tawanda Mparati and, whatever it is, it’s not helping his game and, after a lot of promise last year, he has come into the New Year a different and ineffective player.

But it’s a collective failure of an institution, rather than an individual, which culminated in the humiliation in Tunis.

The Dynamos leadership simply didn’t pick any lessons from last year’s campaign, their worst in history, and a team that needed to be freshened up big time was thrown into another campaign, still in its old and weakened state, with the leaders banking on a miracle.

DeMbare’s success, as they won the league and cup double last year, camouflaged their technical shortcomings because, in moments of triumph, there is very little time for sober reflections.

It was quickly, and conveniently, forgotten that they had been outplayed by Motor Action on that National Sports Stadium mud-bath, in the Mbada Diamonds Cup, and, in the decisive league game against FC Platinum, they needed an own goal from Daniel Veremu to secure a win that changed it all.

That Benjamin Marere missed a sitter after the defence once again went to sleep, in the final minute at Mandava, and that the midfield didn’t click all day, was forgotten in the ecstasy of a defining victory.

On Saturday in Tunis, the punishment from such defensive shortcomings, was duly and ruthlessly meted out and the chaotic and lifeless midfield was duly exposed by the mobility and skill of the opponents.

It’s not the end of the world, though, for this great football institution and there is a brighter side to this humiliation because, if it took a cool three decades for them to suffer such a drubbing, then it means there is something special about them. All teams go through such a phase and the Dynamos players can draw inspiration from tonight’s Manchester Derby because, a few months ago, the champions, United, suffered a six-goal drubbing at the hands of City, but found a way back. When Arsenal were humiliated 2-8 at Old Trafford, it didn’t bring their world down and neither did Real Madrid close shop when they suffered a five-goal mauling at the hands of Barcelona. It’s how the Glamour Boys pick themselves up, after being put in their right place, that will shape their immediate future.

Next year, DeMbare will turn 50 and, just as well, it’s a FIVE before the ZERO because if it was a SIX, it would bring back a flood of bitter memories after the disaster in Tunis on Saturday.