Lube Masters Football Club have qualified for the round of 16 of the prestigious FDH Bank Cup following a 1-0 victory against Sporting FC at Mzuzu Stadium, courtesy of Rafik Kabwazi’s 71st-minute strike.
Lube Masters’ coach, Harold Phiri, admitted that his players failed to execute their game plan in the cup match, citing excessive pressure as the reason for their subpar performance, despite securing a win.
“We were below the par but we won. But who cares. Football is about winning and not about playing well.”
His counterpart, assistant coach for Sporting FC, Albert Mumba said they have lost due to lack of concentration and experience.
Up next, SIMSO Mzuzu 12 Sponsors NRFA-based will face their fellow lower league opponent Raiply FC, who previously defeated Chitipa United at Karonga Stadium on Saturday.
Fall of a giant
One-time FDH Bank Cup champions Silver Strikers became a casualty of the competition, which is synonymous with dishing out upsets in excess amounts.
This was Dedza’s first season in top-flight football, and when they met the Central Bankers, they made sure to drag the game to penalties where they triumphed, ending Silver’s hopes of retaining the cup.
The Lilongwe-based football greats, who are the current TNM Super League leaders, were bundled out of the cup by a Premier Division side, Blue Eagles FC on penalties.
The Central Bankers, despite winning the cup in its inaugural year in 2021, have been the victims of upsets in the past two seasons.
The area 47- based side failed to defend the cup they won in 2021 when they lost to Dedza Dynamos 5-4 on penalties.
In the 2023 season, the area 47-based side exited the competition similarly to how they lost to Dedza, losing to Moyale Barracks in the Round of 16 on penalties again.
The regulation time ended 1-1 tie before Mcdonald Harawa’s penalty save to deny Tatenda M’balaka from converting his spot-kick to dump them out of the competition.
This time around, penalties haunted them once again, losing 5-3 to Blue Eagles following Joshua Waka’s save to deny Innocent Shema from 12 yards out.
The latest shootout defeat for the Bankers means they have failed to win on penalties on six different occasions in all competitions, ranging from their 5-4 and 3-1 penalty loss to Bullets and Mafco FC in the Airtel Top 8 Cup, their 5-4 and 10-9 defeats to Dedza and Moyale in the FDH Bank Cup Round of 16 respectively, and their 4-2 loss to Bullets in the Castel Challenge Cup.
They also lost 7-6 to Bullets in the Charity Shield match played at Bingu National Stadium at the start of the 2024 season.
Speaking after the match, Peter Mponda said his side had a bad start to the match hence the defeat.
“Our play today wasn’t convincing as the performance of the first half was below expectations. Come the second half, we returned a changed side which played very well, we created chances but failed to convert them.
“The game went to penalties, we missed our penalty and lost the match. We will return and continue working on our game as we move on from this match,” he said.
The draw for Quarterfinals will be done after the round of 16 while that of the Semifinals and final will be done after the Quarterfinal matches on the dates to be announced.
“We were below the par but we won.”
Harold Phiri
Lube Masters’ coach.
