Mighty Mukuru Wanderers have moved up to third position in the TNM Super League after a 2-1 victory over stubborn Ekwendeni Hammers at Mzuzu Stadium Wednesday.
Wanderers now have 32 points from 17 matches, at par with Silver Strikers, who remain second due to a better goal difference of 14 against the Nomads’ nine.
The Nomads are now two points behind leaders FCB Nyasa Big Bullets.
Also on 32 points are Chitipa United, who are on fourth position with a goal difference of six.
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The first half was a see-saw affair with both teams finding scoring opportunities but none managed to hit the back of the net.
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Later in the half, Hammers were dealt a big blow after first choice goalkeeper Innocent Kamwambi was rushed to the hospital after colliding with Wanderers striker Vincent Nyangulu.
It was in the second half that Wanderers broke the ice through Nyangulu capitalised on a fumbled ball from Mica Chiyenda, who had replaced Kamwambi.
The goal ignited fire in the Nomads’ camp and they piled more pressure on Hammers.
This resulted into the second goal, which came through Vitumbiko Kumwenda, who netted from a Francisco Madinga pass.
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The goal was enough to awaken Hammers from their deep slumber and they managed to get a consolation goal through Wongani Lungu’s thunderous shot.
Wanderers Coach Mark Harrison said his boys put up a gallant fight to collect maximum points.
“We played on a hard surface but still managed to collect maximum points. This win is a morale booster ahead of our meeting with team of the moment Chitipa United on Saturday at Karonga Stadium. It was a tough game on an unplayable pitch. Both teams played as much as they could but there could only be one winner.
“Hammers are one of the better teams in the league and they played fairly. Credit goes to them. Our boys were also brilliant today and we deserved to win. But we have another tough game against Chitipa, so the boys must be ready,” Harrison said.
His Hammers counterpart Elias Chirambo said their goalkeeper’s injury frustrated their game plan.
“We started well but got demoralised with our goalkeeper’s injury. The result was that we conceded a silly goal. But this was a mistake which can happen anywhere in football. Otherwise, we had chances of winning this match,” Chirambo said.
The result saw Hammers remaining stuck on position six with 25 points from 17 matches.
