By KALUMIANA KALUMIANA At Arthur Davies Stadium –
Power 7 Assembly 1
STRIKER Jimmy Ndhlovu yesterday fired in four goals to inspire Power Dynamos to a resounding home win over National Assembly during the MTN-FAZ Premier League Week 24 match played at Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe.
The emphatic victory saw Power remain in second place on 49 points and one behind league leaders Zanaco who overcame a determined Indeni as 10-men Zesco United held on to beat Green Eagles 2-1 to remain third but now on 46 points.
Back to Arthur Davies Stadium, the win was Power’s biggest win this season since beating Konkola Mine Police 6-0 at the same venue in a Week Three game played on April 5, in a match Ndhlovu scored a brace.
Ndhlovu hit the target in the 10th, 45th, 67th and 78th to take his tally to 13 league goals this season, one less than Zesco United’s Jackson Mwanza who has 14 top flight goals and 15 in all competition.
Power’s other goals came courtesy of Billy Mutale in the 38th minute while Richard Kasonde was on target on the hour mark.
Peter Mwaangani scored Assembly’s consolation goal in the 77th minute before Julius Situmbeko completed Power’s rout in the 83rd minute.
Indeni 1 Zanaco 2
Zanaco bounced back from their Barclays Cup exit to beat Indeni in an exciting match to remain on course towards winning the title, reports FRANCINA CHOMBA from Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
This early kick off double header match beamed live on SuperSport saw the bankers dominate with Potipher Zulu deservedly grabbing the lead on 16 minutes to go into the break with a goal advantage.
Sensing danger, coach Steven Mwansa replaced ineffective Djunese Kanda with Chimunya Masiwa at the break and Masiwa made an immediate impact when he headed in Chileshe Kabwe’s pin point cross to restore parity in the 48th minute.
But Davies Mwape tapped in a match winner with nine minutes left from full time after defender Eugene Shamakamba failed to clear the ball from the danger zone to leave Indeni stuck in the relegation waters on 23 points.
Zesco 2 Eagles 1
Zesco yesterday avenged a 3-1 defeat suffered at the hands of Green Eagles in a reverse fixture played in Choma as they produced an outstanding performance to sink a stubborn Zambia National Service (ZNS) sponsored side.
The Ndola outfit made their winning statement clear in the opening minutes of the game with skipper Jackson Mwanza having his goal ruled out for offside by Lusaka referee Stanley Hachiwa.
Mwanza was, however, in the right position when he scored the opener with a crisp volley from a Lazarous Kambole’s cross in the ninth minute but Mathews Tembo levelled matters on 23 minutes when he outpaced Nyambe Mulenga to put the ball behind the net.
With the game tied at 1-1 after restart and both sides searching for a match winner, it was midfielder Maybin Mwaba who put Zesco back into the lead after being put through by Mwanza in the box on 56 minutes.
Zesco were reduced to 10 men in the 87th minute after midfielder Justine Zulu received a second yellow card for a crude challenge on Adamson Mulao but the home side held on to their lead. Eagles are stuck on 29 points.
Warriors 1 Nakambala 0
At Sunset Stadium in Lusaka, SHAMAOMA MUSONDA reports that Kabwe Warriors fans were at their magnificent best as they threw no stones onto the pitch but just cheered on their team at their new found venue.
The game went on undisrupted with the Kabwe side beginning life at home away from home with a win over Nakambala Leopards.
Warriors’ Godfrey Chitalu Stadium was shut last week for the rest of the season due to supporters violence and this match at Sunset was an example of how they should have behaved all season and the atmosphere undoubtedly helped the players deliver on the pitch.
Josphat Kasusu netted on six minutes off a penalty awarded by Kitwe referee Alfred Zwaki.
This win means Warriors leapfrog Nchanga Rangers, Nakambala and Assembly and into eighth place with 29 points while Nakambala drop one place to ninth with 28 points.
Buffaloes 1 Blades 0
From Woodlands Stadium, Green Buffaloes registered their first win is six matches and it was all thanks to a Sebastian Mwansa’s first half strike to put a smile and relief on coach Bilton Musonda.
Whereas statistics may read one win in six outs, Buffaloes remain undefeated in all having drawn all their previous five matches and this result means the Zambia Army side jumped to 28 points, still a notch above relegation zone but at least five points clear while Konkola Blades remain sixth on 32 points.
Arrows 3 Roan 2
RED Arrows yesterday produced a kind of performance that can help them avoid relegation scoring two late second half goals to get a first win in more than 10 games in what has been a difficult season for the airmen.
And it was Under-20 star Patrick Ngoma, who was the saviour, as, despite not scoring the two late goals, they came courtesy of his assists that included an 88th minute cross which Shaderick Malambo headed in to take all three points.
Arrows got to a good start scoring on eight minutes through a Francis Kombe penalty but it became business as usual when Roan equalised in the 35th minute through Tom Bakala and went ahead via Collins Nyoka scrambled goal in the 70th minutes.
But Ngoma’s 87th minute shot was parried into Stanley Nshimbi’s path, who slotted home before Malambo’s winner a minute later.
Despite the win, Arrows remain in relegation waters with 23 points, five off safety while Roan remain bottom of the table with 16 points.