Blantyre Zero dare to end DD Sunshine dominance

Blantyre Zero coach Maggie Chombo-Sadiki says they have left no stone unturned to beat  DD Sunshine in the inaugural FAM National Women’s Championship final at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe tomorrow.

Since their Presidential Championship success in 2016, Zero have been playing second fiddle to the capital city giants. In 2020, Zero suffered a 3-0 loss to Sunshine in the Presidential Championship final.

However, Chombo-Sadiki, whose side is now a Nyasa Big Bullets FC women’s outfit, said their days of suffering at the hands of the Andrew Chikhosi-coached team are now over.

She said: “We have suffered for too long and it is time to finally grab a national trophy.

“We know it will be extremely tough to beat Sunshine but we are capable of ending their dominance this weekend. It is not on for one team to be title holders all the time as if there are no other good teams in the country.”

But Chikhosi yesterday said Sunshine are also determined to continue their dominance on domestic women’s football competitions.

“We respect Blantyre Zero as one of the toughest teams in the country, but they will be playing against the best outfit on the land. Let them come to the battlefield to see if they are really good enough to be called the national champions,” he said.

To qualify for the final, Blantyre Zero beat Lilongwe-based Ascent Academy 6-5 on post-match penalties after a goalless draw at Mpira Stadium in Blantyre while Sunshine thrashed their capital city rivals Skippers FC at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.

While Zero relies on players such as Mary Chavinda, Sheila Dimba and Emily Jossam, Sunshine bank their hopes on the likes of Caroline Mathyola, Chisomo Banda and Funny Mwale.

National Women Football Association chairperson Suzgo Ngwira said the final will be preceded by a third-place encounter between Skippers and Ascent.

On the scorers’ chart, CY Sisters’ striker Vitumbiko Mkandawire  leads comfortably with 11 goals although her team is out of the competition. She is four goals ahead of Ascent’s forward Rose Kabzere.