Nkwazi stop Warriors

Sat, 22 Oct 2016 11:24:40 +0000

AN 87th minute goal al­lowed in by poor goal keep­ing yesterday snatched victory from beleagured Kabwe Warriors in the FAZ Super League Week 29 en­counter with Nkwazi which ended in a one-all draw.

Warriors had hung on until injury time to what looked like a lone winning goal in the 42nd minute from a free kick expertly executed by Jacob Phiri, beating the Nkwazi goal minder Makasa Kalaba.

It was a goal to remember by Warriors’ fans and one that seemed to save the job of coach Muhammad Fathy.

Both teams had applied a full attack game with a fluid midfield while consolidating their de­fence lines.

But just when the Godfrey ‘‘Ucar’’ Chitalu Stadium was preparing for well-deserved celebration, Nkwazi kept pil­ing pressure and were reward­ed when Steward Chikandiwa tapped in a beauty from a long throw by Kennedy Lungu in the 88th minute.

The goal was caused by mis­communication between War­riors goalie Lawrence Mulenga and his array of defenders.

Mulenga had quickly left his goal line in an effort to punch the ball away from the danger zone, even when he was well covered by his defenders. The ball eluded the goalkeeper and fell at the feet of Chikandiwa who could not make a mistake from close range. It was a goal that ripped the hearts of Warriors.

The draw was a hard-to-swallow consolation for stand-in Warriors coach Chintu Kampamba who replaced head coach Egyptian-born Fathy who has been shunted off the bench following his failure to meet the two wins ultimatum given him by management.

Warriors managed a win at Green Eagles without Fathy in the dugout in May but yester­day’s Nkwazi result means more work is needed at Godfrey Chi­talu Stadium if Warriors are to continue commanding respect next season although they have escaped relegation this season.

The happier of the two coach­es was Nkwazi trainer Albert Mphande who spent most of the 90 minutes shouting instruc­tions to his side to avoid a loss from the team they beat 4-1 the last time.