Anthony Mfune sparks comeback as Karonga score two late goals to deny MAFCO victory

MAFCO 2-2 Karonga United
Champions Stadium, Mponela, Wednesday

Karonga United produced a stunning late comeback to snatch a point from MAFCO with two goals in the final five minutes, securing a 2-2 draw at the Champions Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

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After a goalless first half, Karonga found themselves trailing by two goals when Zikani Sichinga opened the scoring in the 49th minute before setting up in-form China Chirwa for his sixth goal of the season in the 75th minute.

It looked certain to be three points for the soldiers until Godfrey Sibale pulled one back in the 88th minute. Two minutes later, substitute Antony Mfune completed the dramatic comeback, leveling the scores to snatch an away point.

MAFCO head coach Stereo Gondwe expressed his disappointment with the result, lamenting his side’s inability to see out the game.

“We might even lose fans here in Mponela due to these kinds of performances because last time against KB it also ended 2-2, so I think we need to improve. I will have to sit down and analyze what is going wrong so that we can try to fix things in the team,” said Gondwe.

Karonga United head coach Oscar Kaunda acknowledged his team’s slow start but praised their resilience.

“We struggled in the first half because we were at the Champions Stadium for our very first time. After conceding, we told the boys to carry on,” said Kaunda.

“We are good when playing either big or small teams. We got a point from Bullets and Wanderers, and now we have 34 points—meaning the other 33 points came from smaller teams, which shows we are competitive against all teams we face in the league.”

Karonga United have become known for these kinds of dramatic comebacks in the dying minutes. They also stunned FCB Nyasa Big Bullets with two late goals to force a 3-3 draw at Kamuzu Stadium in the first round.

The point lifted Karonga United to 34 points in fourth position after amassing 10 wins, four draws, and six losses.

MAFCO remain 11th with 23 points from six wins, five draws, and nine losses.