Mighty Mukuru Wanderers goalkeeper William Thole justified his status as the number one goal minder on the domestic scene when he converted a penalty and saved two to guide his side to the Castel Challenge Cup quarterfinals.
The Nomads staggered their way to the last eight after surviving Creck Sporting Club’s scare in a round-of-16 tie at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre Sunday.
Wanderers won 4-1 on post-match penalties after the two teams played out to a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Wanderers were made to sweat as Creck, coached by Nomads legend Joseph Kamwendo, matched them in all the departments.
After a barren first half, the match sprang to life in the second with both teams searching for goals.
Defender Hadji Wali headed home a rebound to put Creck in the lead, silencing home fans.
Wanderers Coach Bob Mpinganjira reacted quickly, substituting Sama Thierry Tanjong, Stanley Sanudi and Isaac Kaliati for Clement Nyondo, Adam Wallace and Francisco Madinga, respectively.
The move paid off as Wallace’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Charles Chisale, giving Nyondo the opportunity to level the scores with a simple tap in.
It was an open match but both teams attacked cautiously as they did not commit too much.
During the penalties, Thole scored the first one before teammate Wallace, Emmanuel Nyirenda and Wisdom Mpinganjira converted their spot kicks.
Thole was, indeed, the hero of the day as he saved two penalties from Arnold Kayima and Daudi Chalira while Frank Phiri beat the number one Flames goalkeeper.
In a post-match interview, Mpinganjira pledged to fight up to the end to win it.
“This is the last cup of the season and we have to fight to win it,” he said.
His counterpart, Kamwendo, said even though they lost, he was proud of his players.
“If you talk about performance, I think we performed better and deserved to win the match. In the modern game, you need to stick to your game plan but we made a silly mistake and they scored but, overall, the performance of my boys was marvelous,” Kamwendo said.
In another match, Premier Division side MMF Marine stunned Super League team Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos 5-4 on post-match penalties after the match ended goalless.
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