By The Radar Sports Desk

Despite suffering a crushing 4-1 defeat to Silver Strikers in the first leg of the Airtel Top 8 Cup, Dedza Dynamos head coach Andrew Bunya remains confident about his team’s chances in the return leg.

Bunya’s optimism stems from the knowledge that home advantage can greatly influence the outcome.

Dedza Stadium will host the second leg, and he believes this will propel his team to victory.

“We accept the loss, but we’re far from out,” Bunya emphasized. “Playing at home will give us the edge we need to score more goals than Silver Strikers did today. I urge my players to stay focused and play with a winning mentality.”

In the first leg at Silver Stadium in Lilongwe, Silver Strikers dominated proceedings as Chimwemwe Idana opened the scoring in the 11th minute and he was followed by Zebron Kalima’s goal in the 40th minute.

Dedza Dynamos pulled one back through Chifuniro Mpinganjira in the 54th minute, but Silver Strikers extended their lead with goals from Chinsinsi Maonga in the 64th and 80th minutes.

Silver Strikers head coach Peter Mponda congratulated his players on the win but warned against complacency.

“We must play extra hard in the second leg to advance to the next round,” Mponda stressed.

Zebron Kalima’s outstanding performance earned him the Man of the Match award, highlighting Silver Strikers’ determination to progress.

As the teams prepare for the second leg on October 20, 2024, momentum favors Silver Strikers.

However, Dedza Dynamos’ home advantage and Bunya’s strategic guidance may yet prove pivotal in overturning the deficit.

The return leg promises to be an intense encounter.