Silver Strikers returned home with a draw from their away fixture – a point earned rather than two points dropped. The visitors were fortunate to score first, with footage suggesting the scorer was arguably in an offside position.
Andrew Joseph came off the bench to snatch an equalizer with what looked straightforward from a distance but was expertly executed, thumping home Dan Sundikira’s well-timed cross.
The match ended 1-1, but judging from Silver Strikers’ team selection, it was clear they weren’t settling for a draw. They fielded an attacking lineup featuring strikers Binwell Katinji and Stain Davie, winger Chinsisi Maonga, and Zebron Kalima operating as a winger-cum-attacking midfielder – a formation designed to score goals.
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Against the run of play, Silver Strikers found themselves trailing when Tony beat the offside trap to plant his header into the back of the net, beating goalkeeper George Chikooka.
Silver Strikers responded well, with Chinsisi Maonga forcing the opposing keeper into a save, but their efforts weren’t enough to level the score before halftime.
At the break, coach Etson-Kadenge Mwafulirwa, Peter Mgangira and the coaching staff made key substitutions, replacing Zebron Kalima and Binwell Katinji with Ernest Petro and Andrew Joseph – both players who joined Silver Strikers during the mid-season transfer window.
The change paid dividends just nine minutes into the second half when Joseph, a former Chitipa United striker, pulled his team level in the 59th minute.
The equalizing goal came from a well-worked move: George Chikooka sent a long ball forward to Andrew Joseph, who crossed to the other side for Stain Davie. Davie headed the ball down for Vunga, whose shot missed the target, but the pressure led to the eventual equalizer.
Joseph was booked and subsequently substituted to avoid a potential red card. Chikondi Kamanga replaced him, while Charles Chipala came on for Chinsisi Maonga in the 75th minute.
Despite the result, Silver Strikers were satisfied with their performance and are hoping to complete the job at home on September 27th at Bingu National Stadium.
Co-coach Kadenge expressed mixed feelings about the result but remained optimistic about the second leg.
“The game ended 1-1, but it was a match we could have won at all costs,” Kadenge said. “I think we conceded a silly goal which we thought should have been offside – from where we stood, it looked offside. But we have to thank the boys; they fought until we drew the game.
“The tie is still open for us to progress to the next round. We still have the upper hand since we’ll be playing at home with our 12th player – our supporters. In front of them, we’re going to do better.
“We will definitely change our approach for the home leg. We know them better now, and we’re going to win at all costs.
“Andrew Joseph brought change in the second half – we started attacking more. But he got a yellow card just five minutes after coming on. We were afraid of losing a player who will be so important for us in the second leg at home, so we took him off to protect him from a red card.
“We’ll be playing at home on natural grass. This was an artificial turf, and I hope we’ll have that added advantage,” Kadenge concluded.
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