Moses Shumah’s 18th goal of the season in the MTN Super League was enough to secure a big victory for Power Dynamos in the Kitwe derby on Saturday at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, in front of close to thirty thousand spectators.
The match was evenly contested in the first half, with end-to-end action that saw both sides fail to find the back of the net heading into the break.
In the second half, Power Dynamos launched more counterattacks against a very determined Nkana, and it was not long before Shumah scored in the 52nd minute after being set up by Ronel Manyanga.
Nkana had their chances, with Idriss Mbombo’s flying header hitting the woodwork deep in the 80th minute. However, Dynamos defended well to seal their first derby victory since 2023.
“It’s the name of the game. We’ve lost but the better team lost today,” said Nkana’s assistant coach Josphat Nkhoma after the match.
He added, “Everyone was watching the game; we saw how we started. The first 15 minutes we wanted a killer punch; we missed face-to-face. I think, Idriss Mbombo, you saw he missed a sitter. I think we controlled most of the game; in defence we were solid, in midfield we were fluid, and the strikers were eager to score despite missing chances to kill power dynamos, so I think we were better in most of the departments today.”
Oswald Mutapa, Power Dynamos head coach, who, since his appointment, has won his first Kitwe derby, said what was important was the three points.
“For me, forget about the derby; it’s the three points that matter. So we get the three points, and we consolidate our position at the top of the league and that’s what we need.”
Scorer Shumah, who became the first player to score 18 goals in the MTN Super League since Idriss Mbombo in 2018, remained grounded after the match.
“I didn’t know the record but I can say I feel good. My aim was to beat last season’s record; I scored 17 goals, so this season I was trying to beat that. On my own I will be like I am improving as an individual and also if you score such a number, it means you are pushing your team somewhere better.’
Power Dynamos are now seven points clear at the top of the league standings with 58 points from 26 games. They have two games in hand and are looking to defend their title.
Nkana, on the other hand, sit 12th on the table with 31 points and remain winless in their last five games.
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