Hammers’ survival hunt suffer another blow as KB hand them 14th defeat of season

Mzuzu City Hammers’ relegation fears deepened on Wednesday as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Kamuzu Barracks at Civo Stadium, their 14th loss of the season.

The Northern Region-based side remains second from bottom in the Super League standings, with only Songwe Border FC (19 defeats) having lost more matches this campaign.

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Zeliati Nkhoma came off the bench to score a decisive 74th-minute goal, handing KB their first victory since August and lifting them to 29 points from 22 games.

Hammers arrived at the match with cautious optimism. Facing opponents winless in their last four league outings (three defeats and one draw), they viewed this as a crucial opportunity to climb to 14th place and breathe life into their survival bid.

However, in front of a sparse crowd at Civo Stadium, it was Kamuzu Barracks who controlled proceedings from the opening whistle.

The hosts began brightly, with Nachipo taking an early corner that Hammers cleared comfortably. The visitors fashioned the first clear chance when Chimwemwe Chunga fired from outside the box, forcing the KB goalkeeper into a diving save that pushed the ball over the bar.

KB suffered an early injury blow when Herbert Wayekha was forced off after just nine minutes, replaced by Francis Lackson.

Both sides received yellow cards—Clifd Mbewe for Hammers and Zinjani Yona for KB—as the match grew increasingly physical. Yona missed a golden opportunity to break the deadlock, hitting the post with the goalkeeper beaten before Hammers scrambled the rebound clear.

Hammers goalkeeper Charles Chisale produced an excellent save to deny Dumisani Jere’s low drive from distance. Steve Kanong’ono was booked for a foul as the half ended goalless.

Kamuzu Barracks manager made a triple substitution on 57 minutes, introducing Gerald Chirwa, Zeliati Nkhoma, and Olson Kanjira for Mike Mtonyo, John Banda, and Sam Chiponda. The changes immediately energized the hosts.

Nkhoma had an early chance to make an impact but fired over the bar. Hammers responded with a double substitution of their own in the 65th minute, bringing on Hassan Luwembe and Madalitso Safuli for Dumisani Jere and Alex Orotomal.

The decisive moment arrived in the 74th minute when Nkhoma made amends for his earlier miss. Receiving a perfectly weighted pass from Olson Kanjira, the substitute slotted home to give KB a deserved lead.

Hammers pushed for an equalizer but were unable to create clear chances. The late introduction of Wakisa Mwakifuna and Maxwell Fusani (replacing Isaac Msiska and Alex Msiska in the 88th minute) came too late to change the outcome.

Mzuzu City Hammers Head Coach Elias Chirambo said his team will not be relegated.

“It was a 50-50 game, we played very well but our friends utilized their chance. As Mzuzu City Hammers we will not be relegated, if you can see, first round, we were not doing well. It’s a game, we can win, we can lose but looking at where we are, we are not going to be relegated,” he said.

Nicholas Mhango Head Coach for KB said the win over Hammers is a relief.

“Yes, I’m very happy with the win, I’m relieved. We had lost four consecutive games and playing against a team which is fighting for survival was hard. We created several chances and we had about 8 clean chances. We have been trying to teach the players how to score, penetrate and finish chances but I don’t know what’s the problem with our players. But for today, I’m happy with them,” he said.

What’s Next?

Mzuzu City Hammers will look to bounce back when they host Creck Sporting on Saturday at Mzuzu Stadium.

Kamuzu Barracks will host Chitipa United at Champion Stadium.