SUPER LEAGUE WEEK 1: Talking points

The much-anticipated 2024 TNM Super League kicked off last weekend as the battle for supremacy, points, and the Championship among others are at stake.

The season kicked with glimpses of glitter as teams showed determination to get maximum points with six wins and 2 draws recorded in week one.

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Our writers picked seven main talking points from week one

1. Mponda off to a good start

Straight from a defeat in the Charity Shield Cup, Silver Strikers put behind the frustration as they claimed the much-needed win over Chitipa United.

The Bankers will play 9 games at home in the first round with six games played away from home and the opening weekends give them the advantage of using the home crowd to bag maximum points.

Newly signed Macdonald Lameck, and Binwell Katinji all started and the Bankers had to wait until 41 when reserve-graduated player, Adiel Kaduya scored before Binwell Katinji scored the second goal in the second half.

Silver Strikers are second on the table but Peter Mponda played down the title-winning chances.

“Of course, we compete to win it [the league] but it’s too early to talk about it [now].

“This is the first game and we have 29 games to go but with this performance, I’m very happy with the way the guys responded to the pressure.

“It was difficult to play in the first 25 minutes, but the boys managed to handle the pressure, well done to them,” he said.

The Bankers will face Bangwe All Stars in their next game.

2. Rookies shock giants

Another season, another shocking moment. Last season, Chitipa United, Extreme FC shocked the giants. Last week, Southern Region Football League ambassadors, Friends of Mulanje Orphans, FOMO Football Club, and CRECK Sporting Club hogged headlines after recording shocking wins in their first week.

Friends Of Mulanje Orphans (FOMO) have picked their first-ever win in the TNM Super League after beating Bangwe All Stars 1-0 in a match played at the Mulanje Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Hassan Luwembe netted a second-half line strike to become the first-ever player for the team to score their first goal in the Elite as they have just been promoted into the League and got their historic first three points.

The coach for the team, Gilbert Chirwa, said his boys stuck to his plan and approach to the game hence winning the match.

“It was a balanced game, we kept on attacking them and they were also attacking us but I told them to fight on and we got that goal I should thank the boys for the victory.” Said Chirwa.

CRECK Sporting Club are now leading the table. Macdonald Nginde Mtetemera last season did wonders with Chitipa United when he stunned both Mighty Mukuru Wanderers and FCB Nyasa Big Bullets last season.

Nginde dumped the Northern Region-based side to join the newly promoted team, CRECK Sporting Club. The Central Region Football team marked their journey in the 2024 season in an admirable fashion.

Mighty Waka Waka Tigers were the culprits of Mtetemera’s wonders. CRECK recorded a healthy 3-1 win over the Blantyre-based side.

Speaking after the game, Mtetemera, former Silver Strikers Coach, hailed the performance of his “young lads” saying winning their first game will give them confidence in the coming fixtures.

“New team, first game, and a win is a very nice one,” he said. “These guys are very young, and it’s a youthful team. I just told them what is good and what is bad.”

Full story here

3. Bullets succumb to Dedza Stadium’s curse

By Isaac Grant

A seventh attempt, a seventh failure. FCB Nyasa Big Bullets were not happy but satisfied that they managed to take a point home from the venue where they usually struggle to get the win.

Ephraim Kondowe’s shoulder-dropping tap-in brought ecstasy to thousands of Palestine who turned up for the game at Dedza Stadium, but it didn’t age well, did it?

FCB Nyasa Big Bullets have now failed to win at Dedza in seven games, losing five of them and drawing twice. It was the first time for them to find the goal at the venue in 9 years. Davie Ng’ambi was the first scorer for the team at Dedza against Dedza Young Soccer in 2015 but Kamuzu Barracks won twice against Bullets, Mafco FC, and Masters Security and Dedza won once against the red-attired Bullets.

A blessing in disguise for Phodo to leave the pitch when the game was still infant, Kondowe became the first scorer of the team in the 2024 campaign after tapping in Mwaungulu’s well-worked ball.

The hosts needed one glorious opportunity to stun the visitors. Bullets walked away from Dedza with their faces down, they needed to kick-start their campaign with a win as this season promised to be a tight one with teams upping their standards to challenge Bullets’ pre-eminence.

A defensive relapse handed Dedza an opportunity to level the matter. Donnex Mwakasinga hit a long ball into the half of the visitors, with Keeper Nyasulu off his line, Chifuniro Mpinganjira worked well to find Kamwendo who had little to do as he just gobbled it into the net.

Full report here

4. Pasuwa calls for players’ protection

On their trip to Dedza, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets lost another player, adding to their already existing injury list. Maxwell Phodo picked up an injury in the first half and he was replaced by Ephraim Kondowe who later scored an opener before Promise Kamwendo capitalized on Bullets’ defensive debacle to get a point for Dedza.

However, after the game, Pasuwa sounded worried about the injuries of his players saying the referees were not protecting them.

“At times we need to be professional because this is not football. If it is football, then officiation should have to be on the right side of football. Every time I lose players without anything being done, last year I lost three, or four players and now they are in POP,l but no caution to the players who are injuring our players.

“Today we have seen Maxwell Phodo going off injured, but when it is us, any slight mistake, they [players] are cautioned, they are punished. Then we go into the game itself, as coaches, we prepare and then the results go the other way round. On football matters, it’s one of the results that we were expecting.

“Last year we lost players because we were traveling much, and if you see now, we have traveled twice, we were in Lilongwe [last week] then today we are here. Next game we are at home then the other week, we are traveling again, then, how can you plan as a coach? These players can turn to injury-prone.”

5. Moyale win Military Affair

Moyale Barracks who survived relegation chop on the very last day of the 2023 TNM Super League season started their season with a win over their brothers in arms.

Raphael Phiri netted an 88th-minute winner as Moyale Barracks came from behind to beat MAFCO FC 2-1 in a match played at the Mzuzu Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Bernard Chimaimba scored the first goal of the 2024 season in the first half but was not enough to claim maximum points for the visitors as Charles Nkhoma eclipsed it with Phiri sealing the winner as Moyale dominated MAFCO in the final 15 minutes.

Assistant coach for the team, Victor Chingoka, said it sounds good to start with a victory in the season as it will boost morale of the players.

“It was a tough game, we didn’t start well in the match and out friends scored a goal and come in the second half we made changes and good that we pressurized them and got those two goals. I think we struggled because we have new players who are yet to settle but a win is a good result for us as it will give us strengths.” Said Chingoka.

“It was a very good game, we started very well and got that goal, in the second half we were good as well but if we will be playing with this kind of officiation then this is back. I don’t about referees but this was very bad and cost us in the game.” Said Gondwe.

The two military teams started on high as they kept on pressing each other and blocking each other in the process but an MAFCO defender escaped an own goal in the 13th-minute following Magaga’s good ball then Christopher Mikuwa denied Clifford Chimulambe with a fine save as the hosts searched for a goal.

Full report by Hastings Katsonga Jr here

6. Ramadan blames catch-up games in Wanderers’ draw against KB

Mighty Mukuru Wanderers Head Coach, Nsazurwimo Ramadan says with FCB Nyasa Big Bullets playing on Saturday, the Nomads were under pressure when playing against “difficult” Kamuzu Barracks on Sunday at Kamuzu Stadium.

The Nomads brought happiness to the supporters when Christopher Kumwembe thundered home Stanley Sanudi’s free-kick in the first half.

However, Wanderers were made to run for their money in the second half with KB pushing for an equalizer. The Soldiers were back in it when Zeliati Nkhoma tapped home Olson Kanjira’s fumbled shot.

Speaking after the game, Ramadan who is on a mission to make Wanderers “Mighty” again said the catch-up game gave them pressure.

“I think playing these catch-up games is a problem for us,” he tells the media after the game. “[FCB Nyasa Big] Bullets played yesterday and we are playing today.

“You know, those catch-up [games] will always give you pressure. I think we could not control the pressure of the game which I think we can do in our next game.”

7. Karonga overpower Baka to win Kyungu Derby

Writes Walughano Lumbira

Karonga United Football Club kicked off their season with a win as they claimed the bragging rights in the first ever Kyungu Derby as they beat Baka City 1-0 at Karonga Stadium.

Baka City were promoted to the elite league after winning the Northern Region Football League but they were welcomed by their neighbors.

Baka were the only newly promoted team to lose their first game this season with CRECK Sporting Club and FOMO FC winning theirs.

Blessings Mwalilino scored the only goal for Karonga United in the game and he became the first ever player to score in the Kyungu Derby in the Super League.