Creck Sporting Club forward Kondwani Chilembwe came off the bench to score the only goal of the match as his side defeated Mzuzu City Hammers 1-0 at Aubrey Dimba Stadium on Sunday afternoon — registering their first-ever victory over the struggling visitors.
The two teams played out a cagey first half that ended goalless, but the breakthrough came in the 61st minute through Chilembwe, who had been introduced at the start of the second half, helping Creck return to the top half of the TNM Super League table.
The Hammers started brightly and pressed for an early goal, but Creck had the first real chances with Gift Kadawati and Patrick Mupanzi both missing inside the opening 15 minutes. At the other end, James Gwayi squandered a golden opportunity to put the visitors ahead in the 19th minute.
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Mupanzi missed again for Creck before Jack Beza dragged his shot wide in the 36th minute. Gwayi also missed another promising chance for Hammers before the half ended without goals.
Creck made three substitutions at halftime — bringing on Fatayo Bayola, Misheck Botoman, and Chilembwe for Jauma Edward, Arnold Kiyama, and Ademola Ajibola. Hardy Ng’andu then went close for the hosts, guiding a header narrowly wide in the 56th minute.
Five minutes later, Chilembwe made his presence felt when he found the back of the net to hand Creck the lead.
George Chaomba came on for Kadawati, while Mzuzu made their own changes — bringing on Samson Olatibosan and Jeremiah Kanyika for Eric Kaonga and Yasin Rashid. Isaiah Nyirenda fired over the bar for Hammers before Hassan Hussein replaced Jack Beza, but the visitors couldn’t find a way back as Creck held on for a hard-earned victory — their first in three league meetings with Hammers.
Creck head coach Eliya Kananji was pleased with the result, saying it was crucial for their league campaign.
“We have collected three important points, but it was not easy. Both teams came from defeats and were hungry to win, which made it a tough match. But we thank God we managed to get the result — this win helps push us up the table,” said Kananji.
Hammers head coach Elias Chirambo accepted the result, attributing the loss to a defensive lapse.
“It was a balanced game — 50-50 — and both sides wanted to win. But we failed to defend the chance that led to their goal, so we move forward,” said Chirambo.
The result lifts Creck to 8th on the table with 17 points from five wins, two draws, and six defeats. Meanwhile, Mzuzu City Hammers remain in 15th place with just 8 points from two wins, two draws, and seven losses.
(Pictures used in this publication belong to CRECK Sporting Club)
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