Mzuzu City Hammers have boosted their survival hopes after a comfortable 3-0 win over Songwe Border United at Karonga Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, moving to within one point of 13th place.
Building on two points from their previous two matches, Hammers desperately needed maximum points against the bottom-placed side. They dominated the first half with two goals before adding a late third to secure victory.
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Arnold Phiri opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a fine strike before turning provider three minutes later to set up Hassan Luwembe for a 2-0 halftime lead.
The second half saw reduced intensity as Hammers focused on protecting their advantage. Isaiah Nyirenda’s 93rd-minute strike sealed the win.
The victory intensifies the relegation battle. Hammers remain 15th with 23 points from 25 games, just one point behind 13th-placed MAFCO and 14th-placed Goshen City Dedza Dynamos, and three behind Mighty Tigers in 12th position.
Hammers assistant coach Lawrence Waya said the win has given his team crucial confidence with five games remaining.
“The win has given us confidence that we can do it. Anything can happen now, so we will fight hard for points in our last five games. I believe we will not be relegated,” Waya said.
Songwe Border relegated
Songwe Border United became the first team relegated to the National Division League with five games still to play, as their points total cannot reach the 24 held by the 13th-placed team.
The Ndenga boys also have no chance of reaching the playoff position for 14th place, as Goshen City Dedza Dynamos already have 24 points while Songwe can only reach 21 points even if they win all remaining matches.
The rookies have endured a difficult debut season, winning just once and drawing three times while losing 21 games in 25 matches. They have conceded 59 goals while scoring only nine.
Team technical director Gift Chilongo described the result as painful.
“We did not have most of our players for the match because they were at their respective homes. You know when there is a break, they visit their parents, so it is a problem,” he said.
Despite accepting relegation, Chilongo vowed a quick return to the Super League.
“We are not going to lose any player. We will keep them all so that we win the National League next season and return to the Super League. Trust me, we won’t take long,” he added.
The team currently has six points from 25 games and will compete in the NBS Bank National Division League next season.
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