The 39th edition of the TNM Super League kicked off in style over the weekend, with eight exciting matches played across the country. Match Week One saw several records and milestones, with Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos stealing the spotlight by scoring the fastest goal of the season in their commanding 4-1 win over Creck Sporting at Champions Stadium in Mponela. The weekend also saw no drawn matches, as all games ended in victories.
Here’s a wrap-up of the weekend’s action:
Defending champions Silver Strikers had a disappointing start to their title defense, falling 1-0 to FCB Nyasa Big Bullets in a tense encounter at Bingu National Stadium. Babatunde Adepoju’s first-half strike was enough for the People’s Team to secure all three points, handing new coach Peter Mponda his first Super League win with FCB Nyasa Big Bullets. That victory was particularly significant, as it came against Mponda’s former employers, whom he guided to last season’s league championship.
At Kamuzu Stadium, newcomers Ekhaya FC celebrated a 2-0 victory over Mighty Tigers FC. This loss followed a similar trend from the 2024 season, where they were also defeated by rookies Creck Sporting in their inaugural match, while at Chitowe, Yohane Malunga 14th-minute goal to open the scoring of the new season. This was reminiscent of his teammate Bernard Chimaimba’s 35th-minute strike in 2024. This solitary goal from MAFCO was enough to secure all three points against Chitipa United.
The action continued on Sunday, with last season’s runners-up Mighty Wanderers securing a 3-1 victory over Blue Eagles at Kamuzu Stadium, signaling their intention to compete for the championship this season.
It was a rough day for new Creck Sporting manager Joseph Kamwendo, as his team became the first to concede the most goals in a match, suffering a 4-1 defeat at home to Dedza Dynamos. Meanwhile, at Nankhaka Ground, Karonga United manager Oscar Kaunda was all smiles as his team defeated his former employers, Civil Service United, securing all three points.
At Mzuzu Stadium, Kamuzu Barracks FC delivered a five-star performance, scoring three goals against Mzuzu City Hammers, who managed only one. Kamuzu Barracks’ Zeliati Nkhoma made history as the first player to score a brace in the season, netting goals at the 25th and 36th minutes.
Debutants Songwe Border had a tough start to their campaign, suffering a 1-0 loss to seasoned campaigners Moyale Barracks at Karonga Stadium.
Match Week One produced a total of 19 goals, with Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos making history. Andrew Bunya’s team became the first to score the fastest goal, finding the back of the net just inside the opening minute, and also set the record for the highest number of goals scored (4) on the opening weekend.
Several teams mirrored their 2024 performances, with FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, Moyale Barracks, Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos, Mafco, Karonga, Creck Sporting, Mzuzu City Hammers, and Kamuzu Barracks all scoring in their opening games, just as they did the previous year.
However, Silver Strikers and Mighty Tigers failed to match their opening-game statistics from last season, while Civil Service United and Chitipa United struggled once again, failing to score in their opening matches for the second consecutive year.
Additionally, five clean sheets were recorded, as every match featured at least one goal.
