It was a battle of the titans.
The stage was set. It was a game of honour, prestige and supremacy.
Importantly, it was a day to remember, honour and celebrate the country’s founding father and president, him who conquered the stupid federation.
A gigantic football match between a big team from the commercial city of Blantyre and another big club from the capital city, Lilongwe was set up to spice up the day’s commemoration as an icing on the cake.
But only one team could win with the ‘Government’ of Malawi watching.
A decisive lone goal in the first minutes of the first-half from creative midfield dynamo Francisco Madinga was everything that the Lali Lubani football giants, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers FC needed to thump and pound Lilongwe soccer greats, Silver Strikers in an encounter to mark the Kamuzu Day celebrations.
The Nomads’ enterprising attacking midfielder, Madinga, who also plays for the Malawi national team, scored the only goal of the match with a strike that was deflected into the net by a Silver Strikers defender, just 17 minutes into the match.
The match was played at the Blantyre’s football mecca, Kamuzu Stadium in front of a magnitude and high profile dignitaries in the society led by the country’s Head of State, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and the Republican Vice President, Dr. Saulos Chilima.
Both teams featured players not in their regular first 11.
For instance, the Nomads featured five new faces, who have just been promoted from their reserve side, while the bankers also featured some of their newly promoted players into the tussle.
Wanderers showed hunger to secure an early lead from the kick-off, while the area 47 out-fit started with a lacklustre performance and lacked vitality, force, or conviction to win the game and they were uninspired and looked disorganised in every department of the team as they kept misplacing so many passes.
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers FC is one of Malawi’s most successful teams in Malawi, having won the Super League of Malawi 6 times. Founded in 1962 by Portuguese immigrants in Blantyre, it is the oldest active club in Malawi.
The founders of the club were FC Porto supporters in their homeland hence they incorporated the blue and white colours of Porto into the club’s crest
on the other hand, Silver Strikers Football Club, which was founded in 1977 as a social team for staff at the Reserve Bank of Malawi, hence the club’s nickname the Bankers is a Lilongwe based professional football club currently playing in the country’s top tier football division, and have won eight Malawi league titles, one Malawi National Championship, three Malawi FAM Cup and three Top 8 Cups.
The match which was played for a limited time of 50 minutes, was part of the Kamuzu Day Commemorations, as the country united to celebrate the life of Malawi’s founding father and first President, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
The two team are expected to meat again in the TNM Super League on Sunday at Silver Stadium in what promises to be another exciting encounter of football.
However, towards the end of the game, the bankers with some changes showed positive signs as they stepped up their game and showed intent to carry the day home but their poor finishing let them down.
In an interview, Silver Strikers head Coach Peter Mjojo Mponda said: “We didn’t play our best game but we tried. It was not our day. In the game of football, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
During the game, Wanderers donated their white replica jersey to the State President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera
Wanderers Board member, Tiya Somba Banda, Team manager, Steven Madeira and Technical Director, Yasin Osman presented the kit to the President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.
On his part, Mighty Wanderers head coach Nsanzurwimo Ramadhan said he was happy that his team won the match and took home the silverware to Lali Lubani.
Said Ramadhan: “It was a tough game for us as we were experimenting new players but at the end of the day, we are happy that we won and that is what is important.”
“We didn’t play our best game, but we tried.”
Peter Mjojo Mponda
Silver Strikers head Coach
