TNM Super League rookies Ekhaya FC have continued their impressive debut campaign with a narrow but hard-fought 1-0 victory over Civil Service United at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Monday.
A 67th-minute strike from substitute Wongani Kaponya was enough to seal the win for Ekhaya, who now sit second on the Super League table with six points from two matches, only trailing leaders Mighty Wanderers on goal difference.
The match began on a cautious note, with both teams trading early spells of possession but failing to find a cutting edge in the final third.
The best chance of the first half came in the 30th minute when Muhammad Biason of Civil hit the post after receiving a perfectly weighted through-ball from Muyira.
Unimpressed with his side’s attacking output, Ekhaya head coach Enos Chatama made a bold move in the 36th minute, introducing Chimwemwe Yassin and Wongani Kaponya for Mathews Masamba and Safton Chintokoma.
In the second-half, Ekhaya also replaced last weekend’s goal-scorers Emmanuel Saviel and Lovemore Mbeta with Mwai Banda and Clever Chikwata.
Civil’s coach, Abbas Makawa, responded with a triple substitution bringing in Chifundo Damba, Precious Chipungu and Daminano Kunje.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 67th minute when Ekhaya’s skipper Innocent Msowoya led a swift attacking move before setting up Kaponya, who made no mistake with a composed finish past Rahaman John.
At the end of the game, Msowoya was named Player of the Match.
In post-match interviews, Civil Service United head coach Abbas Makawa expressed disappointment following his side’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Ekhaya FC, attributing the result to misfortune despite what he described as a solid performance.
“We were unlucky to concede that goal. Overall, we had a good game,” said Makawa.
“However, it’s clear we’re lacking firepower in attack. That’s something we need to work on urgently if we are to start picking up points in the coming fixtures.”
On the other side, Ekhaya FC coach Enos Chatama admitted the match was a tough one for his side and criticised his players for retreating too much after taking the lead.
“It was a difficult game for us. We sat too deep at times, which allowed Civil to push forward more than we would’ve liked,” said Chatama.
He acknowledged that the winning goal came from a swift counter-attack and noted the importance of learning from mistakes even in victory.
“Building a team is a process. When you make mistakes but still win, it’s a bit easier to manage. It would’ve been a different story if we had dropped the points,” he said.
“Our primary mission is survival in the league, and we’ll continue developing the team step by step.”
On the standings, Moyale Barracks and Karonga United occupy third and fourth place, respectively—separated only by goal margins.
Meanwhile, Civil Service United find themselves languishing in 13th position without a point.
Mighty Tigers, Creck Sporting Club, and Songwe Border United occupy the bottom three positions in that order.
League action resumes on Wednesday at Kamuzu Stadium, where defending champions FCB Nyasa Big Bullets will face off against Creck Sporting Club.
