Mzuzu City Hammers left it late to equalize and snatch a crucial point from 10-man Blue Eagles, who looked destined for their first victory since July 27.
The dramatic 1-1 draw at Rumphi Stadium means Blue Eagles’ winless streak has now extended to four games (three defeats and one draw), while the Hammers have managed consecutive games without defeat for the first time this season.
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With this result, Blue Eagles missed the opportunity to climb to 6th place in the table, remaining 8th with 24 points from 17 matches. Meanwhile, Hammers stay rooted in the bottom three with 12 points from the same number of games.
The match began with early promise from the home side. In the 3rd minute, Hammers earned a free kick 24 meters from goal, but Sambani’s effort sailed over the crossbar.
Blue Eagles responded with neat build-up play, as Chimwemwe Chunga delivered a beautiful cross into the box, only for Robert to make a crucial block before finding Chikondi Mvula to launch a counter-attack.
The visitors took the lead in the 18th minute when Lanken Mwale was fouled, stepping up to convert the resulting free kick with a superb direct effort.
The remainder of the first half saw sustained pressure from Hammers, who forced two corner kicks within two minutes around the 23rd minute mark, both successfully defended by Eagles.
The turning point came in the 44th minute when Jacob Robert, already on a yellow card from the 25th minute, received his marching orders for a second bookable offense following a collision with a Hammers player.
Despite being reduced to ten men, Eagles started the second half brightly. Mwale continued to threaten, hitting the wall from a well-placed free kick in the 52nd minute before firing a powerful 26-meter effort over the bar seven minutes later.
Blue Eagles made tactical changes, bringing on John Banda and Bennet Konyo for Chikondi Mvula and Andrew Mapemba in the 54th minute. Banda immediately made his presence felt with a powerful shot that was blocked for a corner.
Remarkably, the numerical disadvantage seemed to galvanize Eagles, who continued pressing the home side despite being a man down.
Hammers responded with a triple substitution in the 68th minute, introducing Patrick Banda, Maxwell Funsani, and Dumisani Jere for Samuel Amos, Alex Msiska, and Isaac Msiska as they searched for an equalizer.
As the clock ticked toward full-time, Hammers intensified their pressure. Their persistence was rewarded in the 89th minute when Chisomo Sambani found the back of the net, assisted by Chimwemwe Chunga, to level the scores and send the home crowd into raptures.
Eagles made late changes, giving Webster Mzunda his debut after his promotion from the reserve side, replacing the injured Lanken Mwale, while Checkson Alliz came on for Laurent Banda.
The result will feel like two points dropped for Blue Eagles, who showed tremendous character to play the majority of the match with ten men but couldn’t hold onto their lead. For Hammers, fighting back against the odds will provide valuable momentum as they battle to climb away from the relegation zone.
Final Score: Mzuzu City Hammers 1-1 Blue Eagles FC
Scorers:
Lanken Mwale 18′ (Blue Eagles)
Chisomo Sambani 89′ (Mzuzu City Hammers)
Bookings:
Jacob Robert 25′, 44′ (Red card – Blue Eagles)
Patrick Banda 74′ (Mzuzu City Hammers)
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