Wanderers, Silver face-off in Pamtsetse Bonanza

Silver Strikers will face Mighty Wanderers today in the final of Pamtsetse Soccer Bonanza after defeating Nyasa Big Bullets on Saturday at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Chawanangwa Kaonga scored the only goal in the 68th minute after a brilliant individual effort from Stein Davie.

It was a sweet revenge for the Central Bankers who were humiliated in Blantyre last week in the NBS Bank Charity Shield by Bullets.

Played in a wet weather, the game was open with both teams sticking to their game plan.

Bullets coach Kalisto Pasuwa’s decision to change almost the whole squad which won the NBS Bank Charity Shield last week backfired.

Apart from Patrick Mwaungulu, Bullets featured a new team. Rabson Chiyenda replaced Clever Mkungula in goals.

In attack, MacFaren

Anthony Mfune started instead of Mischek Selemani, Lanjesi Nkhoma, Babatunde Adebayo Adepoju. The midfield was changed too, with playmaker Chimwemwe Idana missing out.Mgwira, Hassan Kajoke and

The changes exposed Bullets as Silver reigned supreme from the first half.

Kaonga was a threat from the first half as Bullets midfield failed to deal with Silver aggression.

He also had a goal ruled out in the 39th minute for offside. His striking partner Maxwell Phodo was a menace too and he nearly scored from a set piece outside the box in the first half, but missed.

Bullets though lethargic had some moments too. Charles Thom had to stretch full length to stop Anthony Mfune’s powerful shot in the 7th minute. Mfune again was denied a goal by Thom in a similar fashion in the 59th minute.

Bullets coach Pasuwa admitted that his players should have done better in attack.

“It was a game of chances and our opponents managed to utilise their chances and scored. We were not so creative in terms of our attack. We missed those two chances we had. But the boys did well, considering that most of the guys had not been playing,” he said.

Silver Strikers assistant coach McDonald Yobe thanked his charges for sticking to the game plan.

“The game went according to the plan. It is a deserved win and the players put up a good performance. They put in a lot of hard work. Now we need to do the same against Wanderers,” he said.

In an earlier game Wanderers had it easy against Civo United winning 2-0.

Chiukepo Msowoya and Vincent Nyangulu scored the goals in each half to ensure progress.

Chiukepo Msowoya made an instant impact for his new club Mighty Wanderers scoring the first goal after 23 minutes in the 2-0 victory.

He also missed a penalty despite his obvious impact. He failed to slot the ball into the net with Ernest Kakhobwe for Bullets going the other way.

Civo were not much of a threat playing a disjointed game.

Wanderers assistant coach Joseph Kamwendo hailed his team for what he described as a well deserved victory.

“It was an overall good day at the office. I am pleased with the way we played. We were patient but probing. Chiukepo was outstanding. He has a lot to contribute this season,” he said.

Civo coach Franco Ndawa attributed the loss to defensive frailties.

“The performance was good despite not scoring. We could have done well defensively. It was obvious we missed the leadership and defensive capabilities of Lawrence Chaziya,” he said.

Nzika Flood Response organised Pamtsetse Bonanza with funding from NBS Bank plc and TNM plc to raise money to for floods victims.