Paul Ndhlovu’s 16th minute strike stunned Mighty Mukuru Wanderers as MAFCO dumped the Nomads out of the FDH Bank Cup.
The skipper sealed a 1-0 win for the Salima military side on Saturday afternoon at Kamuzu Stadium to book a place in the final.
The Nomads were looking to reach the final of the FDH Cup for the second time but struggled for large swathes.
Mark Harrison’s side huffed and puffed but couldn’t find a way past MAFCO’s stoic defence despite having numerical advantage.
On that note, here’re the five talking points from the game:
- MAFCO END DECADE-LONG EXODUS FROM CUPS
MAFCO FC can dream of a first triumph in football’s knockout competition since 2013, when Stereo Gondwe’s team beat Silver Strikers 9-8 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Presidential Cup at Civo Stadium.
Apart from their triumph in 2013, MAFCO also reached the Presidential Cup final in 2011 but their mission wasn’t successful as they lost 1-0 to Wanderers at Kamuzu Stadium courtesy of Anthony Banda’s late strike.
This is their first time for MAFCO to cruise through final of FDH Bank Cup as their 2021 campaign ended in quarter finals after being defeated by Mighty Mukuru Wanderers while last year they were booted out by Changalume Barracks in the round of 32.
- WANDERERS COLLAPSE CURSE STRIKES AGAIN
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers’ defeat against MAFCO was the latest in a long line of collapses from a Mark Harrison side in the FDH Bank Cup.
It was the third time the Nomads have been eliminated at the semifinal stage of the competition.
They lost to Silver Strikers 3-0 during the first season in 2021 before losing 4-0 again to FCB Nyasa Big Bullets in 2022, all in the semi finals.
- THE RUN ENDS
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers dominance over MAFCO comes to an end following the defeat today.
The last time MAFCO immerged victorious over Wanderers was in December 2020 when Stain Malata scored the lone goal to help his team secure 1-0 victory at Kamuzu Stadium.
Since then the Nomads have recorded four wins and a draw in five meetings.
- REAL TEST
The Nomads had a perfect campaign in FDH Bank Cup this season, winning three of three in regulation time. They scored a remarkable 11 goals and only let in once.
However, those results have come against lower league sides. The Bankers beat Mpondasi United 2-0 in round of 32 before recording a 4-1 win over Zingwangwa United in round of 16. In quarter finals they defeated Santhe Admarc 5-0.
On Saturday they faced their first real test in FDH Bank Cup but they failed to withstand the power of fellow Super League side.
- MAFCO AWAITS IN FINAL
The Soldiers will face either FCB Nyasa Big Bullets or Dedza Dynamos in the final after seeing off Mighty Mukuru Wanderers in their semi finals clash.
The People’s team will host Dedza Dynamos Salima Sugar on 24th September at Kamuzu Stadium and the winner will date MAFCO in the final.
If Dedza wins, this will be their first time to reach elite competition final while for Bullets will be their second time out of three FDH campaigns to reach final.
