National Sports

Wanderes reach Fisd semi-finals challenge

For a moment, Fifa referee Newton Nyirenda thought something was wrong with Be Forward players.

This was when they all suddenly sunk on the Kamuzu Stadium artificial turf after Zicco Nkanda’s opening goal in 6-0 demolishing of lower league outfit Airborne Rangers in Fisd Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

It took the referee some seconds to recover upon realising that it was just a goal-celebration style using South African artist King Monada’s Malwedhe ‘fainting’ popular dance challenge.

Wanderers players collapse after yet another goal

A heavy downpour that hit Blantyre yesterday did not hinder the Nomads from dishing out their best.

The cricket score says it all that this was a one-sided affair, with the Nomads players ‘fainting’ six times as they ‘whitewashed’ the Salima-based Malawi Defence Force (MDF) side.

After the match, Wanderers captain Alfred manyozo Jnr said, they wanted to take their supporters, who are used to their normal goal-celebration, by surprise with the Malwedhe ‘fainting’ dance.

For a while, Airborne tried to match Wanderers pound-for-pound, passing the ball around and going forward in search for openings through their attackers Emmanuel Chipeta, Lawrence Chauluka and Cyrus Phiri, much to the astonishment of a small crowd that braved the downpour.

But ruthless Nomads simply did the most important thing in a football match—scoring goals when the Chipiku League outfit least expected it.

Nkanda put the Nomads in the lead in the 17th minute, heading in a low cross past Airborne goalkeeper Christopher Kwalira from Stanley Sanudi in swing after some good work from Chester.

Nkanda made it 2-0 two minutes later, this time left footing on the near post after being played in by Chester.

Airborne survived for the next 20 minutes only to concede two more goals in the last five minutes of the first-half.

Chester made it 3-0 in the 37th minute, after a back pass went wrong.

Airborne goalkeeper tripped on the wet artificial turf when he tried to collect the back pass and Nkanda simply sent the ball inside for Chester to tap in with a hard low shot.

Mike Kaziputa fired home the third goal from a rebound just outside the box in the 39th minute for the first-half to end 4-0.

Things turned worse for Airborne just three minutes into the second-half, when they conceded the fifth goal.

Nkanda completed a hat-trick tapping from a rebound after goalkeeper Kwalira saved Sanudi’s initial shot.

Esau Kanyenda wrapped up the day in the 80th minute with clinical finish dribbling past a helpless Kwalira.

Wanderers coach Bob Mpinganjira said they wanted to kill the game in the first–half.

“We wanted to score quick goals and this happened,” he said.

But Airborne coach Charles Banda blamed the team’s poor showing on the wet surface.

“We could not play our usual passing game due to the rains,” he said.

The Nomads join Nyasa Big Bullets who already qualified for the semi-final after beating Chitipa United on Friday at the same venue. n

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