Chester silence ‘noisy neibhours’ as Hanganda hit bankers in Wafawafa

Super League champions Kamuzu Barracks and cup specialists Mighty Be Forward Wanderers will on Sunday clash in the final for Wafawaga Football Bonanza after seeing off their opponets in the opening games played before a huge crowd at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe this afternoon.

The soldiers from army headquarters were the first to book a final berth after edging Silver Strikers 1-0 in a closely contested affair, which curtain-raised the titanic clash of Blantyre based rivals.

Striker Kelvin Hanganda claimed the lone strike that condemned the central bankers to the losers` final after 60 minutes.

Then came rivalry clash involving Wanderers and Bullets, which saw the red camp mounting a stronger challenge as opposed to the teams` previous meeting that saw the Nomads routing the opponents 5-1 on aggregate in a two-legged Luso Tv Bus Ipite Bonanza.

For the better part of the first half, Bullets kept knocking on Wanderers` door but the Nomads defence marshalled by former Silver Strikers captain Lucky Malata stood firm.

Wanderers suffered a setback on the first half when Nigerian striker Amos Bello limped off with a knee injury.

He was replaced by free scoring Jafali Chande, who was closely policed by the Bullets defence.

Both teams made a number of changes in the second half but it was the introduction of former Azam Tigers tormentor-in-chief Yamikani Chester that decided the tie.

Chester silenced Bullets fans on the hour mark, when he let go a 25-meter missile that exploded in Bullets` nets after kissing the 90 degree angle.

The goal rejuvanated the Nomads, who dominated the final phase with their passing game.

Both teams lost key defenders in the closing stages as Foster Namwera stepped in for injured Harry Nyirenda with Gorge Nyirenda replacing Bullets` injured centre back Miracle Gabeya.

Wanderers mentor Yasin Osman described the afternoon encounter as tougher than the previous one but saluted his charges for sticking to instructions.

“Bullets were a much improved side today. They were committed and gave us a good run. But after we made some changes in the second half, we were in control of the proceedings and managed to get something from the game,” said Osman.

His counterpart Nsazurwimo Ramadan said he was not disappointed with the loss.

“I’m not disappointed at all. I’m seeing this as a victory for my team because the boys have done exactly what we practiced during training.

“Our main focus during training was defending and today we did not give any room to Wanderers strikers. Having focused on defending will now be switching to attacking,” said Ramadan.

Bullets will now face Silver Strikers in the losers final, which will curtain-raise the Wanderers, KB final.

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