Kamwendo thrills, Silver bag points

 

Joseph Kamwendo football show continued on Saturday, when he weighed his imperious display with a Mighty Wanderers goal, but it was little ‘Napoleon’ Tony Chitsulo who bagged the points for Silver Strikers on Sunday.

At the Kamuzu Stadium, the Bankers won their third straight game 2-1 that kept them on top with nine points. Silver have scored eight goals and conceded one—a strong warning that the TNM Super League championship could stay in Lilongwe.

The start was sloppy on an afternoon when fans proved wrong Wanderers general secretary David Kanyenda’s earlier fears that there would be low patronage because of the previous day’s international game.

The fans returned to watch beautiful football and got it in abundance from Kamwendo. They loved it when Kamwendo showed his newly found maturity of being able to vary short with long purposeful passes, which Diverson Chilemba and Malumbo Gondwe fluffed. First-half ended goalless.

Silver came a changed side after break. Thom Mkorongo and his crew got it even more right when Chitsulo stepped in for Young Chimodzi Jnr to hammer a brace.

Yet Kamwendo gave the Nomads false hopes when he volleyed in past Silver goalkeeper Alex Matete, who was beaten further by a wicked bounce into the far right on 64 minutes. But the goal hardly altered the Bankers’ game plan.

‘Rodrick Gonani should run from the left side and Chitsulo should lurk from the deep to finish off the moves’, seemed to have been Mkorongo’s pep talk. And it worked. Gonani’s runs and crosses were the architect of both goals as Wanderers defence failed to deal with the danger.

First, Gonani curled the ball; it was half-cleared and Chitsulo headed it in in the 68th minute. Chitsulo also came from the deep, but this time around hit it with his right to the roof of the net after Wanderers goalkeeper Richard Chipuwa had punched a Dave Moya shot on 82 minute.

It was game over. Silver were the only team that maintained a 100 percent start to the season as Kamuzu Barracks got a reality check in losing 2-1 to Blue Eagles who had Innocent Bokosi on the double and Sanudi Phiri making the soldiers’ lone reply.

Elsewhere, Escom United were left still searching for first win in four outings after being held 0-0 by Bvumbwe Research.

In Zomba, veteran Heston Munthali thought he had done enough to win Big Bullets, but Dalitso Sailesi equalised for Blantyre United who collected their first goal and their first point in four games.

In Mzuzu, rookies Kabwafu FC won the city’s bragging rights after Malumbo Chiumia and Charles Chilembo’s strikes downed Moyale Barracks to rise to the third place.

Second-placed Civo United were held 3-3 by Mafco FC with John Lanjesi, Martin Masoatheka and Nelson Kangunde struck for the civil servants. Gift Soko hit two and Hassan Chapola also netted for the Salima side.