Nomads through to Airtel semis
It was a repeat of the first leg as Joseph Kamwendo propelled Be Forward Wanderers to the semi-finals of the Airtel Top 8 after a 1-0 victory over Kamuzu Barracks (KB) at Balaka Stadium to qualify on a 2-0 aggregate.
In a match monitored on Mibawa Television, just like the first leg tie, Kamwendo scored the lone goal through a penalty in the second half awarded after a KB defender had handled in the box.
The beauty of it all lay in the execution. The former Nomads skipper made time appear to stand still, freezing the emotions of thousands of fans inside the stadium as his cheeky penalty kick floated goalwards.
Kamwendo didn’t go for power, choosing to go for dexterity, dropping his shoulders as if he was firing into the left corner and then — as KB goalminder Leman Nthala slumped to the ground — the midfielder clipped the ball, with the deftest of touches, to give it flight, and just enough power, for it to nestle into the lest side of the goal. It was a beauty.
The Nomads became the second team to qualify for the semis after their age-old rivals Nyasa Big Bullets who ousted Moyale Barracks 1-0 on aggregate.
In a post-match interview, Kamwendo yesterday said it felt good to propel his team into the semis.
“It doesn’t get any better than going through. It was a tough match, but we made it,” he said.
The Lilongwe-based Malawi Defence Force (MDF) side’s assistant coach Temwa Msuku, while accepting defeat, said they were not happy with officiation.
However, KB’s solace was that their midfield maestro Dave Banda was named man-of-the-match and got K50 000. n
