Singini, Sulumba strike as Wanderers march into FDH Bank quarter-finals

Mighty Wanderers have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FDH Bank Cup following a 2-1 victory over Mzuzu City Hammers at Rumphi Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

Blessings Singini opened the scoring against his former employers in the first half, before veteran forward Muhammad Sulumba added a second goal four minutes into the second half. Substitute Jeremiah Kanyika pulled one back for the Hammers to keep the game alive until the final whistle.

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The Nomads started brightly as they looked to break their recent curse of failing to score in the first half – a problem that had persisted for six consecutive matches. Isaac Kaliati, Blessings Singini, and Blessings Mwalilino all came close to finding the net in the opening 20 minutes.

Wanderers maintained their intense pressure, with Wisdom Mpinganjira spearheading the attacks on the Hammers’ defense. His shot was blocked by defenders, but Singini was perfectly positioned to score from the rebound in the 34th minute.

Before half-time, coach Bob Mpinganjira made tactical changes, bringing on Samson Olatibosan and Dumisani Jere to replace Christopher Gototo and Hassan Luwembe.

Muhammad Sulumba doubled the lead in the 49th minute, scoring his first goal in his third stint with the Nomads after being set up by Blessings Mwalilino.

Both teams made several substitutions as the match progressed. Mzuzu City Hammers brought on Patrick Banda, James Gwayi, and Jimmy Msiska for Alex Msiska, Aubrey Simbi, and Jeremiah Kanyika, while Wanderers replaced Dan Kudonto with Peter Cholopi.

Mpinganjira nearly extended Wanderers’ lead, but his effort sailed narrowly wide in the 64th minute. However, the Hammers fought back when substitute Kanyika unleashed a powerful shot that beat goalkeeper Dalitso Khungwa in the 71st minute.

Late in the game, Wanderers made final changes as Kaliati and Sulumba were replaced by Promise Kamwendo and Masiya Manda. Isaiah Nyirenda nearly grabbed an equalizer for the Hammers, but Wanderers held firm to secure their quarter-final berth.

Post-Match Reactions

Wanderers head coach Bob Mpinganjira praised his team’s resilience, acknowledging the challenging conditions they faced.

“We worked hard for this win. It was a tough match because we were playing on a different surface, and at one point the wind was blowing toward our goal. I’m happy that the boys worked hard to secure the victory,” said Mpinganjira.

Mzuzu City Hammers coach Elias Chirambo attributed the defeat to defensive errors.

“It was a good game and we played very well, but we made mistakes at the back which cost us. This happens in football – we’ll go back, regroup, and do better in our upcoming matches,” said Chirambo.

Wanderers join Silver Strikers in the last eight, after the latter defeated FC Shire 4-1 at Civo Stadium. The Football Association of Malawi will conduct a draw to determine the quarter-final fixtures.

The Lali Lubani side are still chasing their first-ever FDH Bank Cup triumph, having failed to win the trophy in the previous four editions of the tournament.