Wanderers through to Carlsberg Cup finals, ease out Mangochi Police
Mighty Be Forward Wanderers advanced to the finals of the Carlsberg Cup on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 victory against Mangochi Police at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
Vastly experienced striker Ishamel Thindwa bagged the important goal in the second half a few minutes after being introduced from the bench.
The former Epac FC hit-man celebrated with team mate’s à la Bebeto by cradling their arms and swinging left to right.
There was more rejoicing for Thindwa after the match when he was decorated with man of the match accolade.
“It feels good to score a vital goal after a long spell due to an injury. I owe this to my teammate because we play as a unit and now our focus will be switched to the finals,” said Thindwa.
The Nomads will play the winners between Silver Strikers and Mafco FC, who are playing on Sunday as they ( Wanderers) continue their quest to become only the first club to win the Carlsberg Cup back to back.
Last season, they won the prestigious cup after beating Nyasa Big Bullets 2-1 in Lilongwe.
Back in the field of play, the Nomads kicked-off the match on a positive note, as they kept the visitors on the tight rope, especially through Jimmy Zakazaka and Peter Wadabwa but the two were not sharp enough to kiss the back of George Chauya’s net.
On several occasions, the Nomads knocked on the cops door, but they were frustrated with Mangochi keeper, who was always on time to cut crosses wide or over the bar.
Ibrahim Sadick nearly scored for the Nomads in the 25th minute, when his cross kissed the crossbar before waving bye bye to go wide.
The cops, responded five minutes later when Blessings Kanyenda and Daniel Nkhata exchanged passes but Saiti William’s shot was too weak to trouble Richard Chipuwa’s palms.
However, Mangochi should also salute their defenders, who tamed well Wadabwa and Zakazaka, but their striking force was blunt.
Come second half, the Nomads made several changes bringing in Japanese based Genki Nakamula for Ibrahim Sadiq, while Thindwa replaced Zakazaka. Ernest Tambe also paved the way for Jaffali Chande.
Thindwa’s substitution really worked for the Lali-Lubani boys, as a few minutes after being introduced, he scored the vital goal that booked the Nomads ticket into the finals of the cup.
After Thindwa’s goal, the Nomads breathed fire but Chande and Wadabwa failed to add another number on the scoreboard, as they missed some scoring chances.
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