Nomads, Eagles Silver stunned
The resilient spirit of the underdog reigned in week five of the TNM Super League as giants killers provided upsets against ‘Goliaths’ in three bubbly encounters.
Be Forward Wanderers, Silver Strikers and Blue Eagles suffered defeats to Mafco, Ekwendeni and TN Stars in that order.
Ten-man Mafco FC handed Wanderers their first loss in the 2020/21 season after stunning the Nomads 1-0 at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
Striker Walusungu Mpata’s first-half strike was all the Salima-based Malawi Defence Force (MDF) outfit needed to stage the upset.
The result was against the run of play as Wanderers seemed to have created better scoring opportunities which were wasted.
The soldiers did what they are good at—defending their position fiercely and even after the referee sent off midfielder Stain Malata, Wanderers found themselves failing to get an equaliser.
For coach Temwa Msuku it was mission accomplished after collecting maximum points from away mission as Mafco also beat Ntopwa FC 1-0 on Saturday.
“I need to congratulate my players. We have achieved what we came here for. What we need now is to be consistent in the coming games,” he said.
Mafco now top the table with 13 points followed closely by another MDF outfit Red Lions on 11 points. Silver are third with 10.
At Mzuzu Stadium, Ekwendeni Hammers provided the biggest upset as the newly-promoted outfit stunned third-placed Silver 1-0 to deny the Bankers the top position.
Substitute Blessings Singini scored the goal that settled the match after coming on in the second-half to deny the Lilongwe-based giants maximum points.
The bankers whipped Mzuzu Warriors 4-0 on Saturday.
“We prepared our players mentally. We looked at their system and instructed our boys not to fear them. The boys put up a big fight, having weakened their strength in the central midfield and we won,” said Ekwendeni coach Etson Kadenge in a post-match interview.
Silver assistant coach McDonald Mtetemera said luck was not on his team’s side.
“It was a tough game. The boys tried to push for a win but we were not lucky today,” he said.
At Kasungu Stadium hosts TN Stars put up a spirited performance to prove that there are no minnows in the league.
Chiletso Zoya gave the hosts the lead in the first-half before China Chirwa added another one in the second-half.
Maxwell Salambula reduced the deficit but the hosts clung to the lead to collect maximum points.
Meanwhile, Moyale Barracks managed a one-all draw against Mighty Tigers at Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe, Blantyre.
They had to come from behind after Edwin Carlos put Tigers in the lead before Llloyd Njaliwa equalised.
The Lions of Kaning’ina go back home to Mzuzu with a points after losing 5-1 to Nyasa Big Bullets on Saturday.
