Ekhaya FC put up an electric first-half performance to defeat Chitipa United 3–0 in the TNM Super League of Malawi on Sunday afternoon at Mpira Stadium.
James Lumbe opened the scoring before Blessings Malinda and Emmanuel Saviel each registered a goal before halftime.
The second half turned out to be quieter, though not short of decent chances.
What Happened
It was a bright start for The Cowboys, who squandered a series of chances before finally getting in front after 21 minutes of dominance.
After beating his man down the flank, Saviel slid a neat pass to Lumbe, who reacted quickly to tap in the opener in the 21st minute.
Eight minutes later, we were 2–0 up, with Blessings Malinda getting on the scoresheet following an assist from Levie Mnyenyembe, who had earlier squandered a precious opportunity in the tie.
Once the provider of the first goal, Saviel grabbed the third with a beautiful header that connected perfectly to a precise delivery from substitute Wongani Kaponya.
Things threatened to worsen for the visitors, with our frontline not relenting on the attacks. Somehow it remained 3–0 at halftime, even though the first half promised more goals.
At the restart, the visitors picked up, managing the ball better in the final third. Returning in goals on the day, Amos Sande was called to task and pulled off a couple of saves to deny Chitipa, who even had a goal ruled out for offside.
Saviel had a chance to tap in a searching low pass from Lumbe before being subbed off. Off the bench, Clever Chikwata was presented with our best chance of the second half but failed to convert.
There was no real threat from Chitipa, despite enjoying some spells on the ball.
The Cowboys finished strongly and ensured the clean sheet was secured.
3–0 it finished.
What It Means
One of the key objectives The Cowboys had heading into today’s tie was to trigger a strong push in the run-in for a top-four finish, and they did exactly that.
The win takes us to 36 points from 23 games, more significantly moving us from 8th to 6th position. A point behind the the 5th placed Karonga United and two points from the fourth placed Civil United.
For the visitors, the defeat leaves them still hanging in 9th place.
What Coach Chatama said
“Pressure was beginning to creep into the boys after two consecutive games without a win. Today we are happy that we have won the game; we have collected three points.”
What Follows Next
After this perfect weekend for The Cowboys, we prepare to be on the road for our next league assignment.
