Petro cherishes Champions League experience
Flames defender Charles Petro on Wednesday became the second Malawian to feature in a Uefa Champions League match as his Moldovan club Sheriff Tiraspol beat Russian side CS Fola Esch 2-0 in a preliminary qualifier.
Sheriff’s website www.fc-sheriff.com states that the former Nyasa Big Bullets central defender played in the entire 90 minutes.
In an interview yesterday, he said it was good to play a Uefa Champions League match
“It was a great feeling to play in such a big tournament for the first time and it tasted even sweeter to win the match,” Petro said.
The Uefa Champions League, whose matches are played on knockout basis, is the biggest European football competition that provides a big platform for players to be spotted by the world’s top clubs and Petro said he will fight hard to get such a chance. Bullets chief administration officer Albert Chigoga said they are proud to have produced the country’s second player to play in the Champions League.
“He makes us proud as his former club. This shows we are capable of building talent. We are happy to see our own boy playing a full match in the Uefa Champions League. We are only hoping to see him improving his skills going forward,” he said.
Petro joined Sheriff in February this year from Bullets for an undisclosed fee. The 19-year-old, who emerged the 2019 TNM Super League best defender after playing for Bullets’ main team for one season, was promoted from Bullets’ Reserve.
Esau Kanyenda became the first Malawian to play in the Champions League in 2005 at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow.
