Blue Eagles fly high
Striker Maxwell Salambula yesterday netted a deserved hat trick as Blue Eagles whitewashed PremierBet Wizards FC 6-0 at Nankhaka Stadium in Lilongwe to reclaim the 2016 Super League top position at the end of first round.
Eagles have now displaced Silver Strikers having amassed 32 points from 15 first round games.
With most top rivals having finished their first round while others have a game in hand, the Malawi Police Service outfit’s maximum points is unassailable.
Nankhaka Stadium turned into a zone of misery for Wizards.
Their defence was as porous as a basket, the midfield as flat as the Lilongwe plains and the striking force as clueless as a nabbed thief.
The start itself was a nightmare as Stuart Mbunge opened the scoring a minute after kickoff.
Maxwell Salambula made it 2-0 15 minutes later and by the time the striker curled his second, just before half hour, the match had stretched beyond Wizards’ grasp.
The visitors responded to the shock scoreline by withdrawing goalkeeper Wanipa Gondwe for Dave Pashane as time ticked towards half time.
But the substitution did not pay any dividends as barely 10 minutes into the second half, Eagles added to their tally when Chisomo Chilasa, who was left unattended in the box, squeezed the Eagles’ fourth.
The sizeable home crowd was in rapture when Salambula headed home to complete his hat trick after the visitors failed to clear a seemingly harmless corner kick.
There was still time for Eagles to drill a last nail into their opponents’ coffin when Gilbert Chirwa’s low shot found its way past the helpless goalkeeper.
The victory was a sweet revenge for Blue Eagles who a fortnight ago were eliminated by Wizards in the Carlsberg Cup.
In that match, the rookies had to come from behind to defeat Eagles 2-1.
“That loss was painful, but we worked on the weaknesses and we are pleased that our players responded,” Eagles manager Gabriel Chirwa said.
The win also comes with K200 000 which goes to Super League first round winners according to Super League of Malawi (Sulom) general secretary Williams Banda.
Wizards have stagnated on position 12 with 12 points.
The club’s owner Peter Mponda conceded that his troops did not show up.
“We were not up to the challenge. We were not aggressive defensively and upfront,” he said.
The battle for points wraps up this weekend.
Nyasa Big Bullets face Dwangwa United at Chitowe Stadium while Be Forward Wanderers host Mzuzu University at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday.
