ZAMADOLO: Son beats father as Ekhaya make history in Airtel Top 8 final

By Thumbiko Nyirongo

There was no family affair on the pitch as William Mpinganjira’s Ekhaya FC beat his father Thomson Mpinganjira’s Mighty Wanderers 2-1 to win the Airtel Top 8 trophy at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Sunday.

The Mpinganjira family connection had been one of the talking points ahead of the final, with Thomson backing Wanderers while his son William is behind Ekhaya.

But once the game started, the family ties were put aside as the two sides battled for the trophy.

Ekhaya took the lead in the 38th minute when Wanderers conceded a penalty for handball.

Blessings Malinda stepped up and made no mistake, sending goalkeeper Dalitso Nkhungwa the wrong way to put the Cowboys ahead.

Wanderers came back strongly after the break and levelled the scores in the 49th minute through Mphatso Kamanga, who finished well inside the box.

But Ekhaya restored their lead 10 minutes later when Allen Chihana headed home from a free kick taken by Malinda.

The Nomads pushed for another equaliser, but Ekhaya stood firm, with goalkeeper Clever Nkungula making important saves as the minutes ran down.

Ekhaya held on to claim their first Airtel Top 8 title on their debut in the competition.

The win completes a strong run for Ekhaya, who eliminated defending champions FCB Nyasa Big Bullets on penalties in the quarter-finals before beating Karonga United 2-1 in the semi-finals.

For the Mpinganjira family, it was a final that could have gone either way.

Thomson Mpinganjira watched his Wanderers side lose, while his son William celebrated Ekhaya’s first Airtel Top 8 title.

On the day, it was William who had the last laugh.

Ekhaya walk away with K40 million for winning the competition, while the Nomads settle for K14 million as runners-up.

Both teams had already secured K4 million each for reaching the knockout stage.