It was going to be a busy week eight with a total of eight games taking place and only one game postponed that of Nakambala Leopards vs Nchanga Rangers due to an outbreak of cholera in Mazabuka. A total of 17 goals scored in week eight with ZESCO scoring five unanswered.
WINNERS
Zesco, Red Arrows, Nkwazi, Green Buffaloes, Napsa, Nkana, Zanaco
Seven teams end the week with three points added to their earlier points after winning the Week eight fixtures. With Nkwazi the only team that won away.
ZESCO
What a performance and that man Jackson Jesse Were scoring four goals against Mufulira Blackpool with Cletus Chama Chota scoring the second for the season. It was a good game for ZESCO and a very poor game for Mufulira Blackpool. Zesco are seriously a threat to the aspirations of other teams winning the league.
Zesco mean Business. They have only allowed one goal the whole in five games and scored 13. Good week for Zesco.
RED ARROWS
Red Arrows got the second win of the season and equaled the draws and losses. That win means Red Arrows have won two drawn two and lost two so far this season and there will be some hope at Nkoloma that maybe and just maybe time for Red Arrows to stamp authority in this league is here. It was Stanley Nshimbi with the lone goal and that is a third straight win against Green Eagles which they beat home and away during the 2015 season.
NKWAZI
One of the two teams to have won away from home in week eight. The other being ZANACO away to Mufulira Wanderers. That was away at Forest Rangers the team that beat them home and away during the 2015 season. One goal separated the two teams with Kalaba Chikwanda with that lone goal and that win maintains Nkwazi in the top four as they end the weekend on third position.
GREEN BUFFALOES
One of the big games of the weekend pitted GBFC Vs Power Dynamos and the winner was GBFC beating the Kitwe based side 2-1 after coming from behind. It’s a worth three points and they will look at that result as a result that will make GBFC start emulating the 2015 season. They end the weekend fifth with a game in hand. Lottie Phiri and Sebastian Mubanga with the two goals for GBFC.
NAPSA
Finally and finally, NAPSA rubs the statistic of being one of the teams not to win a game in the 2016 season and gets off the relegation zone. Mathews Macha scored the only goal of the game beating Kabwe Warriors 1-0. That was the third goal for Mathews Macha in the season and the other two goals for NAPSA have come from Donwell Yobe and Kabuku Maonga. It will be a relief for Napsa and they leave Mufulira Blackpool as the only team that is yet to win a game.
NKANA
Nkana after watching their rival in Zesco hit five past Mufulira Blackpool, they need to up their game and win against another poor performing team in Lusaka Dynamos and that Man Walter Bwalya was called upon to score via a penalty shootout and Guilly Manziba scored two to condemn Lusaka Dynamos to lose the fifth game of the season.
But Nkana even with the best of play would be relieved with the three points that takes them to 19 points and in good command of the Log table but ZESCO are closing in. Nkana cannot afford to drop anymore of the points with the way ZESCO is coming up.
ZANACO
Zanaco beat Mufulira Wanderers home and away last season and this was not going to be an easy game. The win away of 2015 was in Luanshya and the atmosphere would be different in Mufulira but then the two teams are in different stature at the moment and the managerless team fail victim to the pressure of the ZANACO team that scored through set pieces. The first being a header by Ziyo Tembo from Roderick Kabwe and the other goal being another free kick from Roderick Kabwe ending the game 2-0. It’s a good win for ZANACO. They go fourth.
BEST TEAM OF WEEK SIX FOR ME
ZESCO UNITED
The best team of the weekend without a doubt for me was ZESCO United even when they were playing Blackpool, the performance on the day was spectacular and that should have sent shivers to the rest of the teams in the super league. WELL DONE ZESCO that was classical. NKWAZI would be following closely.
DRAWS
One draw in Week Eight recorded
Lumwana Radiants 0-0 Lusaka Tigers
Lumwana Radiants would be disappointed that they failed to win this one but Lusaka Tigers will be happy as their slogan continues, TANAKA. Lumwana Radiants remain 13th and Tigers are seventh.
MOST IMPROVED
Mufuliraa Wanderers would have lost this encounter but they finished the second half on a high and that will give them a lot of hope for future assignments.
LOSSES
Forest Rangers, Green Eagles, Lusaka Dynamos, Mufulira Wanderers, Kabwe Warriors, Mufulira Blackpool, Power Dynamos
Very bad week for the seven teams who lost the games.
FOREST RANGERS
Another loss the fourth in the season and losing at home will hurt but they were playing Nkwazi very determined and ready for the encounter. The loss leaves Forest in the relegation zone and the biggest challenge will be failing score. Forest Rangers have only scored two goals in seven goals and they need to work on this challenge.
LUSAKA DYNAMOS
Lost 3-0 to Nkana and the moment Conlyde Luchanga was injured and moved it the game looked getting off from even the consolation. It was again a poor game for Lusaka Dynamos.
GREEN EAGLES
Lost a third game in a roll to Red Arrows and now Green Eagles are in serious danger in that relegation zone. They are slowly losing their defense mechanism that has kept them in the Super league for some time now. That was the fifth loss of the season and they have only once.
MUFULIRA WANDERERS
Mufulira Wanderers needs to work on the defending of set pieces because the team was seriously not bad. They pushed ZANACO even when they were one man down. Joseph Kasongo’s penalty spot brought life in the life of Mufulira Wanderers but it was too late for the recovery after allowing two goals early in the first half.
KABWE WARRIORS
One of the disappointing team of the season so far saw another loss this time to the winless NAPSA before Week eight and Mathews Macha punished Kabwe Warriors with a third loss of the season. This one will hurt.
POWER DYNAMOS
Another ultimatum after this loss for Tenant Chilumba as GBFC were strong for the Kitwe giants. Martin Phiri’s score was not enough to make Power Dynamos win the game and the result is a serious ultimatum for the Power Dynamos coach. He loses the next game against Nkwazi and the man is shown the door.
MUFULIRA BLACKPOOL
Nothing much to write, even when ZESCO are the best assembled team in the country, Blackpool was very poor on the day and they deserve the five goals conceded. Becomes the worst loser in a game this season.
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MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM
Mufulira Blackpool will end the weekend as the worst and disappointing team of the season and now has the record as the only team without a win this season.
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MTN FAZ Super League week 8 Results:
Saturday, April 30
Forest Rangers 0-1 Nkwazi
Zesco United 5-0 Mufulira Blackpool
Green Buffaloes 2-1 Power Dynamos
Red Arrows 1-0 Green Eagles
Napsa Stars 1-0 Kabwe Warriors
Lumwana Radiants 0-0 Lusaka Tigers
Sunday 1st May
Nkana 3-0 Lusaka Dynamos
Monday 2nd May
Mufulira Wanderers 1-2 ZANACO
Week 9 Fixtures:
Power Dynamos Vs Nkwazi FC
Green Buffaloes Vs Nkana
Green Eagles Vs Forest Rangers
Lusaka Dynamos Vs Mufulira Wanderers
Mufulira Blackpool Vs Red Arrows
Zanaco Vs Nakambala Leopards
Kabwe Warriors Vs Zesco United
Nchanga Rangers Vs Lumwana Radiants
Lusaka Tigers Vs NAPSA Stars
BOLA
