Silver Strikers reached their fifth Airtel Top 8 final following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over rivals Civil Service United at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe Sunday.
The Central Bankers set up a repeat of the Airtel Top 8 final against record holders FCB Nyasa Big Bullets.
The final will be played on July 12 at the same venue.
Bullets sealed their place in the fifth consecutive Airtel Top 8 final after a 2-1 victory over Karonga United on Saturday night.
Emmanuel Allan scored a last gasp winner to separate men from boys.
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Like a sneak thief, Allan headed a Dan Sandukira cross, beating goalkeeper Blessings Juma.
It was heartbreak for Civil players as they tumbled to the surface in disbelief.
On the other hand, Silver fans erupted into celebrations. It was game over.
The match looked destined for penalty shootouts after Peter Ng’ambi had cancelled out Nickson Mwase’s goal with four minutes to full time.
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After a dull first half, the two teams served the best for the last 30 minutes of the match.
After the match, Silver Coach Peter Mgangira praised his charges for the win.
“It was a difficult match but the players fought hard,” he said.
On his part, Civil Assistant Coach Wilson Chidati said they were dejected following the result.
“[It is] a very painful defeat but we have to accept and move on,” he said.
It will be Silver and Bullets again for the second consecutive year.
Silver, who were the inaugural winners of the competition in 2017, also appeared in the final in 2019, 2021 and last year.
This will be the third time for Silver and Bullets to meet in Airtel Top 8’s final since 2021.
But Silver have lost on both occasions in 2021 (5-3 on post-match penalties) and 2024 (1-0).
The 2025 Airtel Top 8 decider presents a chance for both Silver and Bullets to write another piece of history.
Silver will be looking for a third Airtel Top 8 title, having won it 2017 and 2019, whereas Bullets, seek to win it for the fourth time, having won it in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
In addition, they can become the first team to win it for three consecutive years.
In total, this is their sixth Airtel Top 8 final.
Last year, they lost 1-0 to Blue Eagles in the final.
Similarly, this will be Bullets’ chance to write history as the first team to win the competition for a third straight title.
Since the inception of the Airtel Top 8 in 2017, Bullets have won it thrice in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
Eagles and Wanderers have won it once in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
