Chitipa recover from Songwe upset, condemn Dedza to four defeats in row

Chitipa United bounced back from their midweek defeat to Songwe Border United with a 1-0 victory over Dedza Dynamos on Sunday afternoon, marking the return of head coach Kondwana Ikwanga from suspension at Chitipa Stadium.

The hosts took the lead in the 15th minute through Zenda Manda, who was set up by Jimmy Kalanje. That solitary goal proved enough to sink Dedza Dynamos and secure all three points.

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With the win, Chitipa have condemn Dedza to four consecutive defeats as they were coming from defeats to FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, Mighty Wanderers, and Mzuzu City Hammers.

Chitipa started aggressively, hunting for an early breakthrough. The deadlock was broken in the 15th minute from a slick move initiated by Eric Atsigah, who found Jimmy Kalanje. Kalanje then threaded a pass through to Zenda Manda, who converted for his second goal of the season.

Kalanje nearly doubled the advantage five minutes later, but Dedza goalkeeper Donnex Mwakasinga produced a fine save to keep his side in the contest. Friday Osagie was then introduced for Ackim Mponda, and the visitors settled into the game but failed to find an equalizer before the break.

In the second half, Chitipa made tactical adjustments, bringing on Mabuchi Msiska and Lamson Lukali for Kalanje and Peter Barry. Dedza responded with their own changes, introducing Chikondi Mbeta and Chifuniro Mpinganjira for Luke Chima and Osagie.

Msiska came close to grabbing a second for the hosts but sent his effort over the bar. Wellington Chimutu made way for Simon Sings in Dedza’s final substitution, but it made little impact on the result.

Post-Match Reaction

Kondwana Ikwanga (Chitipa United head coach): “We wanted nothing but a win in this game to bounce back from our midweek loss. We didn’t play particularly well, but that doesn’t matter—we got the three points. Tactically, we planned to score early to unsettle them and then look for more goals, but we missed several chances we created.”

Alex Ngwira (Dedza Dynamos head coach): “We failed to create enough chances to score, which is why we came away empty-handed. We also gifted them their goal. We need to sit down and address these problems so we can perform better in our upcoming matches.”

The victory lifted Chitipa United to 9th place with 26 points from 21 matches (6 wins, 8 draws, 7 defeats). Meanwhile, Dedza Dynamos dropped to 12th with 21 points from 21 matches (6 wins, 3 draws, 12 defeats).