* Extreme FC first beat St. Gabriel Zitha before seeing off Mbabvi United 1-0 in the Round of 16
* Defending champions Nyasa Big Bullets first beat Ndirande Stars in Round of 32 before triumphing over Balaka Stars
By Duncan Mlanjira
Extreme FC, who are at the bottom of the TNM Super League, will be put to extreme test tomorrow when when they will face Nyasa Big Bullets in the 2023 FDH Bank Cup quarter-finals at Civo Stadium.
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To reach this far, Extreme FC first beat St. Gabriel Zitha before seeing off Mbabvi United 1-0 in the Round of 16 match through a second half strike from Beston Jimu played at their home on Tuesday.
Nyasa Big Bullets — the Cup’s defending champions — first beat Ndirande Stars in Round of 32 before triumphing over Balaka Stars.
The winner between the two is expected to host the winner between Dedza Dynamos and Moyale Barracks who meet in Dedza on Sunday while the other quarterfinal is between Bangwe All Stars and Mafco FC at Mpira Stadium tomorrow.
The winner between Bangwe All Stars and Mafco FC will face the victors between last season’s semi-finalists, Mighty Wanderers, who host Zingwangwa United at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday.
In another quarterfinal match, Bangwe All Stars will host Mafco FC at Mpira Stadium where the winner will play face Wanderers/Zingwangwa United/Santhe Admarc in the semifinals.
Ahead of the matches, FDH Bank Senior Manager-Marketing & Communication, Ronald Chimchere described them as mouth-watering as while applauding Santhe Admarc for being the first to reach the last four.
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“As usual, the FDH Bank Cup keeps unveiling up-and-coming teams from the lower leagues, who show some excellent tenacity to get as far as possible,” he said.
“The case of Santhe Admarc is one such while Zingwangwa United is set to give Mighty Wanderers a huge challenge. That’s the pride that we have which the FDH Bank Cup is all about — to offer a platform where untapped talent can be identified and nurtured further.”
Chimchere added that as sponsors they are proud of the high standards that the FDH Bank Cup has produced, which was the whole essence of sponsoring the annual tournament — at K120 million with K30 million earmarked for the champions this year.
The Round of 16 match between Extreme FC and St. Gabriel Zitha
Dedza Dynamos reached this far after beating Chitipa United in Round of 32 and Ekwendeni Hammers in Round of 16 while Moyale Barracks saw off Iponga FC and Silver Strikers.
Bangwe All Stars first dated Ekwaiweni Tafika Sport Academy and Civil Service United while Mafco FC saw off Ekwendeni Hard Knockers and Blue Eagles.
Mighty Wanderers went past Mpondasi FC and Kamuzu Barracks while Zingwangwa United beat Mayamiko Stars with Santhe Admarc beating TNM Super League side Mighty Tigers in Round of 32.
The full list of lower league side that participated were Leyman Pampers, Iponga FC, Ntaja United, Ndirande Stars, Mpondasi FC, Mbabvi United, St. Gabriel Zitha, Ekwaiweni Tafika Sport Academy, Balaka FC, Chilumba Barracks, Santhe Admarc, Mayamiko Stars and Zingwangwa United.
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