COPS SHOT!
Blue Eagles were swept aside with contemptuous ease by steamrolling Nyasa Big Bullets yesterday with a 4-0 demolition courtesy of Hassan Kajoke’s clinical goal-scoring instincts at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
About 374 kilometres away in Dwangwa, Nkhotakota, Be Forward Wanderers continued to breathe down the People’s Team’s neck with a 2-0 victory over Dwangwa United as the chase for the TNM Super League title continues to gather momentum.
The two giants are still separated by a point with the champions at the summit of the 16-team league with 55 points from 25 matches in a contest that seems destined to go down to the wire.
After the match, Eagles coach DeKlerk Msakakuona conceded that his side is now out of contention following three straight losses within five days.
Eagles have dropped to fourth from third position with 47 points from 28 games, having been overtaken by Silver Strikers who edged Kamuzu Barracks 1-0, courtesy of Mike Tetteh’s strike. Silver now have 50 points also from 28 games.
Said Msakakuona: “For sure we are now out of contention for the title. It was a tough game… We were in trouble for sure.
“We just have to forget about this match and go back to the drawing board to rectify the mistakes that we noted.”
It was a sweet revenge for Bullets who lost 2-1 in the first round at Nankhaka in Lilongwe.
His Bullets counterpart Callisto Pasuwa said they took advantage of Eagles’ fatigue.
“They [Eagles] had tired legs from yesterday’s [Saturday’s] game [against Ntopwa FC]. Nevertheless, the boys played according to instructions although they kind of relaxed a bit in the second half,” he said.
After shrugging off some early lethargy, Bullets’ collective heart was soon beating loudly and cometh the 14th minute, cometh the man.
A corner-kick floated with precision by Righteous Banda saw Kajoke swinging upfield to beautifully plant home the opener, giving Eagles’ goalkeeper John Soko no chance.
And as Mapalestina were still in awe of Kajoke’s goal, Banda turned from provider to scorer when he netted the second barely a minute later after being put through by Mike Mkwate.
Mkwate scored the third in the 41st minute. The beauty of it all was Peter Banda’s creation. He surged down on the right flank—where the People’s Team found a fruitful avenue—before curling the ball into the goal area and Mkwate ghosted in to provide the final flourish.
Kajoke closed the score-sheet and completed a brace in the 69th minute. It was a replica of his first goal as he again headed in Banda’s corner-kick to take his tally to 16, just two goals behind leading scorer—Silver’s Khuda Muyaba.
In Dwangwa, Harry Nyirenda scored the first goal for Nomads in the first half before substitute Vincent Nyangulu doubled the lead.
