Silver Strikers are now three points shy of ending their 13-year TNM Super League title
after their 2-0 win over table-anchors Baka City at Silver Stadium in Lilongwe yesterday.
The Bankers’ fortunes were enhanced after their fellow title contenders Mighty Mukuru Wanderers’ slump against Mafco FC in the dying minutes at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre yesterday.
Mafco defied the odds to come from two goals down to force a two-all draw in the last five minutes.
Following yesterday’s results, Silver have 61 points, seven ahead of Wanderers, whom they face this Saturday at Kamuzu Stadium and should the Bankers win, the race will be all over.
At Silver Stadium, the hosts drew first blood through striker Charles Chipala who headed home McDonald Lameck’s long delivery in the 16th minute.
Stain Dave doubled the lead in the 42nd minute.
Chimwemwe Idana sent a low cross which Chipala missed, but it landed in the path of Dave to coolly slot the ball home.
There was not much to write about in the second half as both teams failed to play a pass-and-move game due to the wet conditions of the pitch following a heavy downfall.
Silver defender Maxwell Paipi was named player-of-the-match.
Baka coach Kondwani Mwalweni attributed the defeat to the condition of the pitch.
“We couldn’t string even two, three passes, the condition of the pitch was too bad. It was unplayable,” he said.
Similarly, the talk from his Silver counterpart Peter Mponda was the same.
“It would have been a good game had it not been for the rains. All the same, credit to the boys for the win,” he said.
At Kamuzu Stadium, Wanderers were on fire in the first-half as they netted through centre-back Lawrence Chaziya and current top scorer Isaac Kaliati.
Chaziya headed home a Francisco Madinga’s corner kick in the sixth minute.
Thereafter, the Nomads squandered several scoring opportunities until the 42nd minute when Kaliati’s thunderous shot whizzed between Kameza and the post.
The game’s complexion suddenly changed within the last five minutes when Mafco scored two quickfire goals to deny the Nomads maximum points.
Mafco pulled one back through Auspicious Kadzongola, who was named player of the match, in the 86th minute from the spot after defender Timothy Silwimba fouled Joseph Mbewe in the box.
The Salima-based outfit then levelled in the 90th minute through Bernard Chimaimba from a Francis Black assist.
Wanderers acting coach Bob Mpinganjira bemoaned the lost opportunity to keep up with Silver.
He said: “A very bad game for us. We were leading [2-0] the whole maybe 70 to 80 minutes, but in the end we have drawn.
“We have dropped two points, which is very bad for us. We didn’t play our usual game, the passing game. Of course, we created some chances and missed.”
Mafco are now seventh with 39 points.
Ironically, at Civo Stadium in the capital city, Civil Service United also came from two goals down to hold FCB Nyasa Bullets 2-2.
The People’s Team remain third with 46 points from 27 matches while the Civil Servants are also stuck on fifth with 43 points from 29 matches.
