A total of 11 goals were scored in the first leg ties of the Airtel Top 8 quarter-finals, but Be Forward Wanderers midfielder Joseph ‘Shakira’ Kamwendo’s beauty against Azam Tigers in Balaka on Sunday stood out.
The beauty of it all lay in the execution—difficult in normal circumstances—but he defied the acute angle to clip the ball into the far top left corner from outside the 18-yard box, hitting the post in the process before sailing into the net.
We saw it last Saturday, that signature move into an open space, a first touch pregnant with assurance and, then, before we realised, the Nomads were way up in the sky, celebrating a beauty of a goal.
No wonder the battle-scarred midfielder was named man-of-the-match and with it got a K50 000 prize.
The Nomads won 2-0. However, it was the match between Kamuzu Barracks (KB) and Blue Eagles which ended 4-2 that had the highest number of goals in a contest in which the soldiers were already in the comfort zone at half time, leading 4-0.
But the tide changed in the second half in which the cops from Area 30 came with renewed purpose to score two away goals which could prove vital in the return leg.
Eagles’ Stuart Mbunge was named man-of-the-match, the only player from a losing side to win the award in the first leg ties.
Saturday’s showdown between Silver Strikers and Nyasa Big Bullets registered the lowest scoreline as the Bankers emerged 1-0 winners and they had their goalkeeper Brightone Munthali to thank for pulling off brave saves that earned him the man-of-the-match accolade.
Mafco FC were the only team to lose at home after going down 2-0 to their ‘brothers-in-arms ‘Moyale Barracks at Chitowe in Dwangwa, Nkhotakota where the latter’s captain led by example with a vintage display and no wonder he was named man-of-the-match.
The first red card was shown to Tigers’ Nickson Mwase.
