Civil Service United forward, Dustan Banda, came off the bench to score twice in the second half, guiding his team to a 2-0 victory over Creck Sporting Club at the Civo Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. The result marks a second consecutive defeat for Creck Sporting under their new head coach, Eliya Kananji.
The two teams played a goalless first 45 minutes, with Kananji eagerly seeking his maiden win at the helm of Creck Sporting Club. However, Banda’s clinical strikes in the 50th and 70th minutes sealed a well-deserved win for the Civil Servants.
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Cagey first half, second Half breakthrough
The hosts started brightly, dominating play but rarely testing Brighton Munthali in Creck’s goal during the opening 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Hussein Hassan had a shot saved by Blessings Juma after a defensive error at the back.
Charles Mafaiti sent his 25-meter free-kick drive over the bar before Dustan Banda replaced Khumbo Mhone in the 39th minute. Despite these moments, both teams struggled to create clear-cut chances that could have broken the deadlock.
At half-time, Stain Patrick replaced Arnold Kiyama Son for Creck, while Rahaman John and Muhammad Biason came in for Juma and Mafaiti for Civil. Just two minutes into the second half, Babangida Ishaya blasted his attempt over the bar. Soon after, Banda broke the stalemate, heading in the ball from a Blessings Malinda corner kick to put the hosts ahead.
Civil Service United continued to pile on the pressure, forcing Kananji to introduce Kondwani Chilembwe, Misheck Botoman, and Harvey Nasiyaya for Jack Beza Jr, Babangida Ishaya, and Ademola Ajibola after the hour-mark. Civil also made further changes, bringing on Moses Banda and Chifundo Damba for Frank Chizuze and Malinda. Banda then added his second, capitalizing on Munthali being off position to seal the crucial victory.
Coaches’ Reactions and League Implications
Wilson Chidati, assistant coach for the Civil Servants, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome, stating that his team fully deserved the win. “It’s a good result for us, and really, we played very well today, meaning we were supposed to get this kind of result. We lost on Sunday, and we needed to bounce back,” Chidati remarked.
Conversely, Creck Sporting Club coach, Eliya Kananji, attributed the defeat to a lack of seriousness from his players. “We played well in the first half, but come second half, every player was totally down. This is due to lack of seriousness of the players because if you look at the goals, we gifted them, so we are giving ourselves pressure because we are not winning the games that we needed to win,” Kananji lamented.
This result means Kananji has failed to secure a win in his first two matches with Creck Sporting, having recently joined from Blue Eagles. Notably, interim coach Harry Saidi had claimed 7 points out of a possible 9 before Kananji’s arrival.
The victory was vital for the Civil Servants, who climbed to 13th place with 9 points from two wins, three draws, and four defeats in the League. Meanwhile, Creck Sporting remains at 11th position with 11 points from three wins, two draws, and five defeats.
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