Silver held by MAFCO to miss top three spot in post-Idana era

Wastefulness led to frustration which took the game into juju beliefs, as a suspected Silver Strikers supporter entered the pitch and poured liquid substances onto MAFCO goalkeeper Christopher Mikuwa in the dying minutes, as the Soldiers held the Bankers to a goalless draw at Silver Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

The Bankers needed a win to leapfrog Ekhaya FC into third in the TNM Super League log table, but an awful first-half performance was complemented by a wasteful second half, dropping two points at home in their first match without Chimwemwe Idana, who left the team last week.

Both teams started on a high as they looked for an early goal, but it was MAFCO that created more, with Rodwell Robert and Yohane Malunga coming close—the latter forcing George Chikooka into a great save before Chinsisi Maonga blasted his free kick over the bar, and Daudi Sauti’s powerful strike was parried away by Chikooka in the 17th minute.

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The visitors continued to be the better team in the game but were forced to make an early substitution, with Blessings Chandiyang’ana replacing the injured Sunganani Geoffrey in the 35th minute. Then, Stain Davie sent his effort wide after being brilliantly released by Uchizi Vunga in the 43rd minute.

The Bankers kicked off the second half with two changes, as Binwell Katinji and Levison Maganizo replaced Emmanuel Allan and Dan Sandukira. The changes brought much energy to the Bankers, as Maxwell Paipi headed his effort wide, then Macdonald Lameck and Katinji forced Mikuwa into saves in the opening 10 minutes of the half.

Uchizi Vunga made a solo run after beating three players, but his shot was saved by Mikuwa. Then, China Chirwa replaced Chifundo Molosoni for MAFCO in the 66th minute, followed by great misses by Maonga and Davie, who could have put the Bankers ahead as they kept knocking.

Charles Chipala was given his first minutes of the season after replacing Davie in the 72nd minute. Then, three minutes later, Yohane Malunga shot straight at Chikooka before the tempo dropped. Dalitso Sato replaced Rodwell Robert for MAFCO, and Lasuli Jali replaced Zebron Kalima inside the added 8 minutes of the game.

Towards the end of the match, a suspected Silver Strikers fan entered the pitch and poured liquid substances onto Mikuwa, which led to a pause in the game. After the final whistle, Mikuwa was voted Player of the Match for his outstanding performance.

Silver Strikers head coach, Peter Mgangira, said his team needs to work on their attack, as they missed a lot of chances, especially in the second half.

“It was not a tough match. MAFCO dominated the first half, but after changes in the second half, we created chances that we could have scored. I think this is the first match we have created many chances, so we need to polish our attack. But I’m not happy with a point at home,” said Mgangira.

Meanwhile, head coach for the visitors, Stereo Gondwe, was happy to walk away with a point, as they were playing against a big side away from home.

“It was a tough game, but we were good in the first half where we missed chances. But we managed to defend in the game and come out with a point against a big team, so a point is enough for us,” said Gondwe.

The Bankers now remain fourth in the league with 19 points from 10 games, having won five matches, drawn four, and lost just one. They have scored 17 goals and conceded 8.

After managing to claim 7 points in the last three matches, MAFCO now move up to 9th on the table with 14 points from 12 matches, after winning four games, drawing two, and losing six. They have scored 11 goals and conceded 15 in the league.

MAFCO goalkeeper Christopher Mikuwa was voted player of the match.

The featured image used in this publication is owned by Silver Striker’s media