* Win 7-6 on post match after drawing 1-1 in the 2nd leg following another 1-1 in the 1st
* Blue Eagles are through to the semifinals after 1-1 draw away against Civil Service United following a 0-0 in the 1st leg
By Duncan Mlanjira
In their debut appearance of the Airtel Top 8, Ekhaya FC have booted out the much-anticipated for tournament’s most successful side, defending champions Nyasa Big Bullets.
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They are through to the one-leg semifinals after winning 7-6 on post match penalties — following their 1-1 draw this afternoon at Mpira Stadium in the 2nd leg and another 1-1 in the 1st leg played at Bingu National Stadium last month.
Also through to the semifinals are Blue Eagles, who drew 1-1 away at Civo Stadium against Civil Service United — following their 0-0 in the 1st leg, going through on away goal rule.
In the first leg, Ekhaya FC came from behind to hold the defending champions through an equaliser by Allen Chihana and but this time around the same Chihana took Ekhaya into the lead in the 45th minute.
Nyasa Big Bullets equalised 12 minutes after the halftime break and the result stood up the last whistle to take the decider into the dramatic 7-6 penalty shootout.
Ekhaya, who qualified for the Airtel Top 8 2026 after finishing 7th in their debut appearance in the top flight league, can revel in the glory of having ousted the tournament’s most successful side, who have won it a record four times (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025) since its introduction in 2017.
The Cowboys will meet winners between Creck Sporting Club and Mighty Wanderers in which the Nomads lead 2-0 ahead of their 2nd leg at Aubrey Dimba Stadium tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Blue Eagles will meet winners between Karonga United and Silver Strikers in which the Bankers have a 2-0 cushion to be played at Karonga Stadium tomorrow.
The hosts Civil Service United were first to score in the 29th through Saulos Moyo but the Eagles equalised a minute after the halftime break through Micium Maone.
Having drawn 0-0 in the first leg, the cops from Nankhaka, who are former champions of the Airtel Top 8, qualify on away goal rule waiting for their next opponent to be decided tomorrow.
Silver Strikers have won the Airtel Top 8 twice and have never been eliminated in the quarterfinals since the tournament’s inception in 2017.
Meanwhile, the TV broadcast highlights of the first leg matches and today’s games can be accessed through the following link; https://www.dazn.com/en-MW/competition/Competition:h4mwrqwtze55164sy5cqv4ux8.
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Ahead of the match, the-defending-champions-Nyasa-Big-Bullets were well aware that Ekhaya FC — whom they have now met four times in competitive matches — were going to be a tough nut to crack.
In their previous two meetings on the league, the Bullets won both — 1-0 and 2-0 — and the Bullets Club Media took cognizance that Ekhaya have continued their rise in Malawian football after earning promotion to the TNM Super League and established themselves among the country’s emerging sides during their debut in 2025 season.
The Bullets Media further took note that the 1-1 draw in the first leg was a “disciplined” performance from the Cowboys that extended to an unbeaten run in the FDH Bank Premiership included victories over Kamuzu Barracks and Masters FC — along with hard-earned draws against Mighty Wanderers, the Bullets and, most recently LUANAR Mitundu.
“That resurgence has been built on defensive solidity, with the Cowboys keeping four clean sheets and conceding only three goals during the unbeaten sequence,” conceded the Bullets Media.
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