Captain Khumbo Msowoya was the hero for Karonga United as his late second half goal was enough to edge past a dogged Blue Eagles 1-0 in a TNM Super League match played on Saturday.
The game played in front of partisan home faithful at the Karonga Stadium appeared to be heading to a frustrating goalless draw for the home side as Azizz Mwakifuna missed a penalty in the 75th minute before Msowoya spared Mwakifuna’s blushes with a well taken winner.
The visitors who came into the match after downing champions Nyasa Big Bullets 2-1 last weekend were the better side in the first half before being overwhelmed in the second half by the home side.
Foster Bitoni had the Area 30 based side’s best chance in the first half but he scooted the shot over the bar when sent clean through one on one with the goalkeeper by Schumacher Kuwali.
After a quiet first half, the crocodiles of Karonga took control of the contest in the second half led by the excellent Misheck Slimani who wowed the fans with his dribbling skills.
Khumbo Msowoya and Victor Lungu all went close before Aziz Mwakifuna had his spot kick brilliantly saved by Eagle’s goal custodian John Soko.
However, Karonga United were finally rewarded for their pressure through Msowoya who finished off a flowing team move.
In a post-match interview, Blue Eagles coach Deklerk Msakakuona, said he had no complaints with the result as the better team won on the day.
“We started brightly in the first half without creating a lot of chances but we faded badly in the second half hence we struggled to contain Karonga,” he said.
According to Msakakuona’s counterpart Dan Dzinkambani, the win was a morale booster heading into next week’s Airtel top eight final with Silver Strikers.
“We really wanted to win this match against a big side to give us confidence in the final and assessing our performance we are ready for the final,” said a confident Dzinkambani.
Meanwhile, the defeat means that Blue Eagles have dropped from first to third on the log table with 14 points from 8 games while Karonga are up to 8th with 12 points from 8 games.
