Ferroviario da Beira bounced back from defeat to Munali Suns with a commanding 98-71 win over Harare Kings in Road to BAL 2027 Group E action. Ismael Nurmamade scored 22 points as Beira improved to 2-1 in Lusaka.
Last Updated on
November 2, 2026
A day after losing by two points, Ferroviario da Beira made sure their clash against their Zimbabwe-based opponents would not be that close as the Mozambican champions eased to a comfortable 98-71 win over Harare Kings, moving to 2-1 in Group E of the Road to BAL 2027.
Ismael Nurmamade led the way with 22 points, four of his six three-pointers and a +28 rating in 28 minutes. For the Kings, Tanaka Ndyara scored 14 points, but it took him 15 shots to get there. The first quarter showed the direction the game would take: Beira scored 29 points and allowed just 11, and the Kings spent the rest of the afternoon trying to close an 18-point gap.
The Kings did settle in during the second quarter as they rallied their way back into the game, scoring 29 points against Beira's 26 and winning the quarter, the only period they won all day. That trimmed the lead to 15 at the break, 55-40.
Any hopes of a comeback for the Kings were extinguished in the third quarter as Beira ran out 21-13 winners and led 76-53 going into the final quarter. The Mozambicans ensured that there was no way back for the Kings despite a close fourth quarter that saw Beira run out 22-18 winners as they closed out the game with a 98-71 victory.
Four Beira players scored 15 or more. Nurmamade added four assists and two steals to his 22. Joshua Thomas and Ayad Munguambe each scored 18. Thomas made eight of his 14 shots and set up four baskets. Munguambe made eight of 13, hit two threes, took three steals and finished +30, the best mark on the team in 25 minutes. Ke Tarrious Bouchum scored 15 points, but the rest of his night stood out: eight rebounds, five steals and three assists, for an efficiency rating of 26, the highest on the team. Helton Ubisse added seven points and seven rebounds and did not miss a free throw.
The bench kept the pressure on. Celio Chirombe scored 10 with six rebounds and four steals. Egidio Samuel Zandamela scored four, but he took seven rebounds, four of them offensive, and added four steals. Hilario Alfredo Malale made one of his eight shots, yet he handed out five assists. Coach Nilton Joaquim Manheira used all 11 players.
Numbers decided the game in the end as Beira shot 37 of 76 from the field against 29 of 75 for the Kings. The gap was wider from beyond the arc, as Beira made 9 of 23 attempts while the Kings converted just 5 of 25. The biggest difference was turnovers and steals. Beira finished with 20 steals and 17 turnovers while the Kings had 8 steals and 23 turnovers. Beira also had 22 assists to the Kings' 14. The Kings were not beaten on the boards, though. They finished with 42 rebounds to Beira's 45, and their 14 offensive rebounds were two more than Beira's 12.
The Kings never found their rhythm. Ndyara scored 14 on 6-of-15 shooting and gave the ball away six times. Noah Penduka added 11 on 5-of-9, but he also had six turnovers and four fouls in 23 minutes. Munashe Makunde scored nine off the bench on 4-of-8, and Emmanuel Muteba Shine and Dyvonne Pfachi each scored eight. Shine made all four of his free throws, took eight rebounds and three steals, while Pfachi hit two of his five threes and added two assists. Neville Chivanganye gave them a lift off the bench with five points, five rebounds and a steal in just under 13 minutes.
The Kings also lost the one player who had carried them a day earlier. Panashe Kaduya had 20 points and 19 rebounds against Soweto Panthers on Saturday, but on Sunday he was held to seven points on 3-of-8 shooting, with eight rebounds and a block. The Kings outscored 25 points while he was on the floor, and 24 with Shine out there. Tinotenda Chapfika made the most of a short night, blocking three shots in just eight minutes, and the Kings finished with five blocks to Beira's one. Charles Wilson missed all six of his shots, including five from three, though he did set up three baskets.
None of this has been easy for the club. They won both the Harare league title and the national league title in their debut season, and coach Tafara Chirambira had said they were working with a first-round budget of between US $35,000 and US $50,000. In their opener, they led Dolphins 46-34 at half-time, then scored only nine in the third quarter and lost 77-72. They bounced back against the Panthers on Saturday, winning 66-47. Sunday's score will hurt, but this is a side still learning what this level demands.
For Beira, they did not have long to feel sorry for themselves as they commanded a needed response. Despite losing 87-85 to Munali Suns a day earlier, a game in which Thomas scored 27 and Bouchum 18, they beat Soweto Panthers 92-63. The club played in the Basketball Africa League in 2022 and 2023, and the players know what it takes to get back.
In the end, Beira are 2-1 and play Bravehearts on Monday, while The Kings are 1-2. The top two teams in the group qualify for the Elite 16 East Division, so every result from here matters.
