….Panther 0-4 Eagles
By Edwin Mbewe
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-On Wednesday, the Policemen from the Malawi Police National Headquarters staged a remarkable performance against the resilient civilians from Area 49, Lilongwe, who had a well-organized plan for the day.
The showdown commenced as the center referee blew the whistle at 14:31 hours.
The civilian team, Leyman Panthers FC, launched an aggressive attack against Blue Eagles FC, the police team, and closed off passages to their final third.
Despite the Panthers’ determination to maintain their defensive lines, the Policemen exercised their authority and fired two tear gas canisters before the end of the first half.
Superintendent Schumacher Kuwali, the field commander, initiated the first tear gas canister at the 39th minute, with Constable Ian Chinyama providing support.
Just before the conclusion of the first half, Chinyama assisted Trouble Banda in scoring the second goal for the Eagles at the 45 + 2 minute mark.
In the second half, Leyman Panthers paid the price for their lack of experience in executing their well-planned tactics from the first half. The Director of Operations for Eagles, Eliah Kananji, reorganized his squad, and they began to dominate.
This time, the Chipiku Premier division league outfit had no answers, and the Eagles attacked relentlessly. Trouble Banda completed his brace in the 49th minute, with Schumacher Kuwali playing a pivotal role. A few minutes later, Trouble Banda returned the favor, assisting Kuwali in scoring his second goal.
With 30 minutes remaining in the operation, the Policemen had completed their mission, leading 4-0.
Eliah Kananji utilized the remaining time to give playing time to other squad members, including substitute goalkeeper Justine Bonongwe, who made his debut in the 71st minute.
Blessings Tembo, Christopher Gototo, and Ranken Mwale replaced Tonic Viyuyi, Laurent Banda, and Captain Schumacher Kuwali.
The substitutes entered the game with enthusiasm, as the inexperienced Panthers accepted defeat with exhaustion, which had set in after a hard-fought first half.
Chimbengeri finally blew the whistle to conclude the battle for the round of 32 in the Prestigious MK320 million Castel Ibongetse Challenge Cup.
Blue Eagles FC made history as the first team to secure a ticket to the Castel Cup round of 32 with a convincing 4-0 victory over the Panthers.
Eagles coach Eliah Kananji expressed satisfaction with how his team executed their strategy.
“As expected, we struggled in the first half because we didn’t know their style of play, but they knew ours and frustrated us. However, in the second half, we figured them out, scored two more goals, and won the game,” Kananji stated in a post-match interview.
His counterpart, Atanazius Jabulani, attributed the loss to a lack of experience and noted that they conceded avoidable goals due to careless mistakes.
“I’m not sure what happened defensively. We held our own for a significant portion of the first half but ended up conceding those unnecessary goals. However, I’m pleased with the boys for containing Eagles. Our focus will now shift to the league,” said Jabulani.
Blue Eagles FC will eagerly await the draw for the round of 32 as they enjoy a Castel Black Edition at the Police Officers Mess.
In another Castel Cup match, another police side, White Eagles from the Southern region, defeated a Malawi Defense Force (MDF) outfit, MDF Marine, 2-0 in the play-offs to secure the final slot in the round of 64.
Goals from Master Sasamala and Lewo Kaila sealed their victory.
MDF Marine had an opportunity to pull one back with a penalty kick following a foul by a White Eagles defender, but goalkeeper Joseph Ngalande made an excellent save.
