Chitipa thump merciful Songwe to rise high

Chitipa United has recorded back-to-back victories, propelling them to 9th on the log table after a resounding 4-0 win over Songwe Border United at Karonga Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Rajab Nyirenda was the orchestrator of the team’s dominant attack on the rookies, scoring one goal and assisting Trouble Kajani in the first half. Mabuchi Msiska and Andrew Lameck then found the back of the net in the second half, sealing an impressive and comprehensive victory.

Fresh from a hard-fought 1-0 win against Kamuzu Barracks last weekend, Basongo began this game with a commanding performance. Rajab Nyirenda wasted no time, striking in the 11th minute to put the hosts ahead. He nearly added a second in the 24th minute, but his free-kick was well saved by the Songwe goalkeeper.

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Songwe made an early change, introducing Lusekero Kishombe for Anthony Mwalilino. However, this did little to stem the tide as Nyirenda set up Trouble Kajani to hammer home the team’s second goal in the 37th minute, ensuring Chitipa went into the break with a healthy lead.

Chitipa continued their relentless dominance over their former head coach, Christopher Nyambose’s side. Kishombe was later substituted off for Matthews Kumwenda, while Mally Kasongo and Joseph Mbaga paved the way for Godfrey Kwiyokwa and Andrew Joseph on the hour mark. Just a minute later, Mabuchi Msiska capitalized on a defensive hiccup to net his first goal of the season.

Kajani and Nyirenda were replaced in the 81st minute by Limbani Phiri and Raphael Nkhoma. Andrew Lameck then missed a glorious chance in the 89th minute when he found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, he quickly redeemed himself by sending another ball into the net in added time to seal the emphatic win.

Coaches’ reactions and league standings

Kondwa Ikwanga, head coach for Chitipa United, praised his boys for the brilliant performance showcased throughout the entire game. “It’s the game we’ve been looking for so that we get points. We were playing a good team, despite that we have given them four, but our two goals gave us confidence that we could play in their half. This is what I have been looking for, controlling and enjoying the game,” Ikwanga stated.

Meanwhile, Christopher Nyambose, head coach for Songwe Border United, conceded that his team is in a bad condition. “We should take the blame ourselves because we failed to play into the game, and we gave our friends a room to enjoy the game. In fact, we have some individual brilliance in the team, but we have a dead team. We have to wait for the transfer window to open and add some few players,” Nyambose lamented.

The convincing win propels Chitipa United up to 12 points in the League from 10 games, placing them in 9th position with three wins, three draws, and four losses. In stark contrast, Songwe Border United remain rooted at 16th position with just one point from 10 games, having drawn one and lost nine in their debut season.