Six-goal horror show: Wanderers crash out of Africa as Simba cruise to aggregate rout

Mighty Wanderers have been sent crashing out of the CAF Champions League in the most humiliating fashion, after Tanzanian powerhouse Simba SC tore them apart 6-1 at a raucous Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

The mauling completed a devastating 7-1 aggregate rout, ending Wanderers’ continental dream at the very first hurdle and leaving Malawian football fans to lick their wounds.

The nightmare began almost immediately, with Wanderers’ midfield in tatters from the first whistle.

Simba wasted no time capitalising, striking inside just seven minutes when Clatous Chama pounced on a horror mix-up in the Wanderers defence to slot home.

The floodgates opened from there. Libasse Gueye doubled the hosts’ lead in the 27th minute, before Chama struck again seven minutes later to complete his brace and leave the Malawian side staring down the barrel of a footballing hiding.

Wanderers boss threw on Sama Thierry, Clement Nyondo and Mphatso Kamanga in a desperate bid to stop the rot, hauling off Lameck Mithi,

Promise Kamwendo and skipper Emmanuel Nyirenda – and for a moment it looked like it might work.

Nyondo won a penalty in first-half stoppage time after being clattered inside the box, and up stepped Isaac Kaliati to calmly slot it away, offering the travelling faithful a brief flicker of hope heading into the break at 3-1.

But any thoughts of a fightback were brutally extinguished after the restart.

A calamitous error from Wanderers goalkeeper Dalitso Nkhungwa handed Gueye his second of the afternoon in the 68th minute, restoring Simba’s three-goal cushion at 4-1.

Simba weren’t finished tormenting their opponents. Substitute Keletso Makgalwa piled on the misery with a fifth in the 87th minute, before Morice Abraham rubbed salt in the wound with a sixth deep into stoppage time, sealing a ruthless 6-1 rout on the night.

The result leaves Wanderers’ European – or rather African – ambitions in tatters, crashing out at the first preliminary round after a chastening 7-1 aggregate defeat, having already gone down 1-0 in the first leg at Bingu National Stadium last weekend.