By Thumbiko Nyirongo
Dedza Dynamos coach, Andrew Bunya, remains defiant despite his team’s crushing 4-1 defeat to Silver Strikers in the first leg of the Airtel Top 8 quarterfinals, played at Silver Stadium in Lilongwe on Wednesday.
“We did not expect to lose by such a margin, but we had planned well for the game. Silver Strikers outshone us,” Bunya acknowledged.
“However, I’m confident that our home ground advantage will be the game-changer. We’ll utilize our fans’ energy and the familiar surroundings to turn the tables.
“We can easily score three goals to force the game into penalties and win. Our focus now shifts to the second leg, and I assure our fans that we’ll leave everything on the pitch,” sais Bunya.
Silver Strikers dominated the match, with goals from Chimwemwe Idana in the 9th minutes, Zebron Kalima in tbe 40th minutes and a brace from Chinsinsi Maonga in the 68th and 80th minutes.
Dedza’s sole goal came from Chifuniro Mpinganjira in 54th minutes of the affairs.
In a post match interview, Silver Strikers’ head coach, Peter Mponda, hailed his team’s performance.
“It was a very good and convincing performance. We dominated from the first to the last whistle.”
He added, “It’s not over yet. We will prepare well for the second leg encounter.
“Since we managed to score four goals at our home ground, they can also pull off a surprise at their backyard. So, we’ll be thoroughly prepared.”
The second leg is scheduled for October 10th at Dedza Stadium.
This year’s Airtel Top 8 competition has attracted eight teams, including Bullets, Silver Strikers, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, Chitipa United, Kamuzu Barracks, Dedza Dynamos, Civil Service United, and Bangwe All Stars.
The winner will receive a record-breaking K30 million, thanks to Airtel Malawi’s increased sponsorship package of K655 million.
