Blue Eagles climbed to third place in the TNM Super League on Saturday afternoon with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Mafco FC at Nankhaka Stadium. The win, secured by a late goal, plunges the Salima-based Soldiers into the bottom three of the league standings.
The Eagles’ exciting attacker, Levison Mnyenyembe, broke the deadlock just before halftime, giving the hosts a crucial lead. However, Mafco responded swiftly after the break, with Chifundo Moloson leveling the scores in the 48th minute. The decisive moment came 12 minutes from time when Bennett Konyo netted the winner for Blue Eagles, sealing all three points.
Blue Eagles now boast 16 points from 10 games, placing them third, five points behind leaders FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, who have played two fewer matches. Mafco FC, on the other hand, find themselves in 14th position after nine games.
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Nsakakuona Off to Winning Start
The victory marked a triumphant return for Blue Eagles Head Coach, Declerk Nsakakuona, who officially rejoined the club’s dugout on a permanent basis. Nsakakuona, who previously served as the Malawi U-17 coach for the Football Association of Malawi, had been appointed technical director earlier this year before assuming a caretaker role last month.
His permanent appointment was announced this week, and the win against Mafco provides a perfect welcome.
There was an added layer of motivation for the Policemen. In their last league encounter, Mafco FC secured a 2-1 win, a result that confirmed Eagles’ relegation. Despite pre-match claims from their coach dismissing notions of revenge, Saturday’s victory was undoubtedly a targeted win for Blue Eagles.
The match began at a frantic pace, with both teams eager to assert dominance. While an early free-kick from Yohane Malunga for Mafco went wide, Blue Eagles settled into the game after 15 minutes.
Laurent Banda and Mnyenyembe combined to set up Trouble Banda, whose effort narrowly missed. James Stambuli then came close to breaking the deadlock, pouncing on a good ball from Gilbert Chirwa, only for his connection to agonizingly miss the post. John Banda later rattled the post, with Chirwa tapping the rebound wide.
Mnyenyembe finally gave Eagles the lead, capitalizing on Micium Mhone’s perfectly weighted pass just before the break. However, Blue Eagles seemed to switch off early in the second half, allowing Mafco to equalize just three minutes after the restart through Moloson, who beat Joshua Waka.
Eagles then upped their game but were repeatedly thwarted by Mafco’s resolute defense. Gilbert Chirwa missed a good chance after a delivery from Ian Chinyama.
Coach Nsakakuona made strategic substitutions, bringing on Tonic Viyuyu and Lanken Mwale for James Stambuli and CJ Banda. The changes paid dividends, as Chirwa missed another close-range opportunity after the keeper fumbled a free-kick, but it was Lanken Mwale who made an immediate impact, providing the assist for Konyo’s late winner.
Mafco’s struggles deepen
Mafco FC, who were relegated in 2018 after a nine-year stay in the league before returning after one season, are facing worrying times this season. After nine games, they have already suffered six defeats, winning only two and drawing once.
They showed early intent by forcing an early foul outside the penalty area, but Yohane Malunga’s resulting free-kick whistled wide. Despite a setback late in the first half when Blue Eagles took the lead, Mafco responded brilliantly with Moloson’s equalizer.
However, that potential lifeline wasn’t enough, as Mafco remained a step behind the Eagles and ultimately conceded the decisive goal late in the game, deepening their struggles and pushing them further into the relegation mire.
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