Silver Strikers have dislodged Mighty Wanderers at the summit of the FDH Bank Premiership following a 1-0 victory over Creck Sporting Club at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.
The Nomads have dropped from top spot to third after being held to a 1-1 draw by Moyale Barracks FC in a tense encounter at a packed Mzuzu Stadium Saturday.
Silver are tied on 25 points with Blue Eagles, who narrowly defeated Mafco at Chitowe Stadium in Dwangwa, Nkhotakota.
The Nomads, who now have 23 points from 12 games, were first to score as they took an early lead through Gaddie Chirwa in the seventh minute.
He collected a pass from Lameck Mithi, beat two defenders with neat dribbles inside the box and fired past Moyale Barracks goalkeeper Jeremiah Simfukwe.
Moyale started brightly and earned an early corner through Black Allisen, but the Wanderers defence stood firm to clear the danger.
The hosts pressed late and were rewarded in the 85th minute when Lucky Mkandawire struck a superb equaliser.
The midfielder unleashed a shot from 20 yards that beat Wanderers goalkeeper Dalitso Khungwa.
Late drama followed two minutes later as Moyale defender George Nyirenda was shown a straight red card in the 87th minute for a bad tackle, leaving Moyale to finish with 10 men.
Both sides came into the game in decent form. Moyale had beaten Civil Service United 1-0 in their previous match, while Wanderers drew 1-1 with Masters FC.
Moyale Barracks goalkeeper Jeremiah Simfukwe was voted Man of the Match following a standout performance. His crucial saves, particularly in the first half, kept the hosts in the game.
In a post-match interview, Wanderers coach Bob Mpinganjira bemoaned the dropped points.
He said: “A very disappointing result, but that’s football. We accept the result and look forward to the next fixtures.
“But we were on top of everything, only that we didn’t score goals. We only scored one goal. So, sometimes when you don’t score, you get punished.
“So, we have got one point in the bag. It’s okay for now. We accept the result and look forward to the next fixture.”
In Lilongwe, Nickson Mwase’s only goal was enough for Silver to climb top of the table.
Silver assistant coach Mapopa Msukwa said they deserved the victory.
He said: “It was a good game. I should, uh, praise Creck Sporting Club for a very good performance. But all in all, we have managed to win the game and thanks to the boys.
“First-half we dominated. We had a very good ball possession, but come second-half, Creck made some tactical changes from four-three-three to four-four-two, which I think they gave them have an upper hand.
“They played more diamond in the midfield, having advantage of one player which made them have more possession than us.”
Blue Eagles coach DeKrerk Msakakuona was also delighted to collect maximum points away at Chitowe Stadium.
He said: “Collecting three points is no joke. It was a tough game. I am glad we came out victorious.”
