Silver Striker vs Be Forward Wanderers in Carlsberg Cup final
After 16 years of asking, Silver Strikers on Sunday reached their first-ever Carlsberg Cup final with a 3-1 victory over Mafco FC at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.
The victory means Silver will meet holders BeForward Wanderers in the final on September 10 at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre. Nomads earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Mangochi Police on Saturday.
There were scenes of celebrations on the part of Silver as they mimicked the soldiers’ parade after the final whistle.
No one could blame the Bankers for the untamed celebrations, having reached the finals for the first since the introduction of the competition in 2000.
It was a deserved victory for the Bankers who progressed to the final courtesy of Victor Limbani’s brace and Mike Robert’s stunner towards the end of the game.
Possibly, the 3-0 thrashing the Bankers suffered at the hands of the Salima-based soldiers in the Super League a few weeks ago might have triggered the anger.
They, however, had to endure a frustrating first-half before breaking the deadlock through Limbani in the 60th minute, when the attacking midfielder pounced on a loose ball before putting into the roof of the net to send Silver fans into ecstasy.
Limbani completed his brace in the 70th minute with a low finish before Mafco reduced the arrears through Patrick Masanjala.
The Bankers were not done yet as Robert hammered the last nail into the soldiers’ coffin with a right-foot stunner to ensure the Bankers progression to the final.
Throughout the game, Silver had a lion’s share of possession with Binwell Katinji and man-of-the-match Duncan Nyoni causing plenty of problems for Mafco defenders. Silver also won the battle in the midfield with man-of-the-moment Thuso Paipi on top of his game.
Mafco, also known as Soccer Instructors, were taught some soccer lessons as they kept on chasing their own shadows for the better part of the game.
Makeshift forward Saidi Mtekama was caged by Mike Ntonyo and Lucky Malata. In the first-half, Mafco goalkeeper, Kondwani Mangunya, was forced to make a reflex save to deny Levison Maganizo’s attempt.
In a post-match interview, Silver assistant coach, Lovemore Fazili, hailed his charges for executing his game-plan.
“We did a lot of attacking in training and I am really excited because the players played well,” he said.
Mafco Chairperson, Peter Ng’oma, conceded that the soldiers were second on the ball.
“Silver deserved to win the game because they played with a purpose but I think the absence of our key players also affected us,” Ng’oma said.
Wanderers and Nyasa Big Bullets are the only teams to have won the Carlsberg Cup twice since its inception.
Line-ups – Mafco – Dalitso Makunganya, Vitumbiko Phiri, Yohane Malunga, Zikhole Nguluwe, Godfrey Khunga, Chikondi Maloya, Bernard Harawa, Paul Phiri, Patrick Masanjala, Joseph Dossa, Saidi Mtekama.
Silver – Blessings Kameza, Thoko Stambuli, Lucky Malata, Mike Ntonyo, Mike Robert, Timothy Chitedze, Levison Maganizo, Duncan Nyoni, Victor Limbani, Binwell Katinji.
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