TNM Super League defending champions Silver Strikers earned Capital City bragging rights following a 2-0 victory over Civil Service United at Silver Stadium Sunday.
The victory could be a boost for Silver’s title defence as they reduced the gap between them and leaders FCB Nyasa Big Bullets to seven points with a match in hand.
Following Sunday’s win, Silver moved up to sixth on the 16-member log table with 11 points from six matches.
Bullets, who lost the match against rivals Mighty Wanderers 1-0 in the Blantyre derby at Kamuzu Stadium, lead the log table with 18 points from seven matches.
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Silver trail second-placed Wanderers by five points, having played the same number of matches.
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Slowly, the title race is taking shape.
At Silver Stadium, first-half goals from in-form Festus Duwe and Chimwemwe Idana made the difference.
The first half lived up to expectations, with both teams producing moments of brilliance.
But it was Duwe who haunted his former team Civil after 12 minutes when he beat goalkeeper Blessings Juma with a composed finish.
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Duwe, initially, was involved in the move, having passed the ball around several times with Idana before Chinsinsi Maonga squared it back to Duwe, who slotted it home.
But Civil reacted quickly as Moses Banda unleashed a powerful shot outside the box to force goalkeeper George Chikooka to make a reflex save.
Duwe had a chance to complete his brace in the 21st minute when Idana delivered a good cross into the box but his effort went over the bar.
At the half-hour mark, Civil introduced Yankho Biliati for Emmanuel Muyira.
But the hosts continued to dominate and were awarded a penalty after Juma was adjudged to have fouled striker Emmanuel Allan.
Idana, who was named player-of-the-match, stepped up and converted the spot kick before the break.
It was a bit of a drab second half as both teams struggled to create chances.
Needless to say Silver tried everything to protect their lead.
On the other hand, Civil panicked as they wanted to come back into the match.
Silver Coach Peter Mgangira said he was delighted with the victory.
“It feels great to win the derby. Credit to the players for their fighting spirit,” Mgangira said.
This is Silver’s third victory after registering two draws and one loss in six matches.
Civil Coach Abasi Makawa admitted that it was a painful defeat.
“We lost the match in the first half. We conceded early and gave away a penalty towards the end of the first half. We tried to come back into the match in the second half but it was difficult,” Makawa said.
Civil remain 13th on the log table with five points from seven matches.
The defeat to Silver was Civil’s fourth loss in the current campaign.
