Moyale tame Nomads
Moyale Barracks on Sunday took a step towards the Airtel Top 8 Knockout semi-finals after beating hosts Mighty Wanderers 1-0 in an explosive quarter-final first-leg at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
A goalkeeping blunder by Richard Chipuwa proved costly for the Nomads as it enabled Lloyd Njaliwa to score the priceless goal in the 53rd minute.
Despite saving the blushes of his defenders on numerous occasions, especially in the first half, Chipuwa turned into a villain for the Lali Lubani Road boys after gifting the visitors the goal.
After a goalless first half, the Kaning’ina Lions returned with renewed vigour in the second half to seal the vital win that puts them at an advantage ahead of the second-leg encounter at Mzuzu Stadium on November 20.
The latest result stretches the torment that Wanderers have suffered at the hands of the Mzuzu-based soldiers this season in the TNM Super League as they also lost 1-0 away before settling for a goalless draw in the return match in the 2020/21 Super League.
This is perhaps the reason this appeared an important result for Moyale coach Pritchard Mwansa.
“This is a sweet result for us. It gives us an edge ahead of the second leg at home. We are very happy,” he said.
However, Mwansa admitted that this does not mean they were 100 percent perfect on Sunday as there were a number of areas they need to work on to avoid being booted out of the competition, especially their defence and attacking.
Wanderers coach Bob Mpinganjira attributed their loss to the numerous missed scoring opportunities that came their way.
He said: “We could have scored two or more goals, but we failed to convert our chances. It will be a tall order to beat Moyale at their backyard but we will work hard to get the win in the second leg.”
If they lose the second-leg of quarter-finals, the Nomads will complete the season without a silverware.
On, Saturday Wanderers rivals Nyasa Big Bullets conquered Mafco 3-1 at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
