Mitundu Baptist, Baka, Zitha Fear Nearing Soldiers in NDL

Mitundu Baptist, Baka City, and Namitete Zitha all missed chances to move closer to NBS Bank National Division League leaders Red Lions, who dropped points on Saturday after recording disappointing results on Sunday afternoon.

Mitundu Baptist and Baka City could have narrowed their gap on Lions to just one point, but both lost to FOMO FC and Chintheche United respectively, while Namitete Zitha conceded late to claim an away point against Bangwe All Stars, failing to move two points behind Lions.

At the Mulanje Park Stadium, three goals were scored in six minutes to settle the result, as Chifuniro Kanfunani and Chitsanzo Saidi struck in the 62nd and 64th minutes respectively for FOMO, but Raheem Mtondera’s 66th-minute penalty was not enough to secure a point for Baptist.

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Head coach for the victors, Jimmy Zakazaka, praised his boys for a job well done to secure their fourth win of the season.

“It was a tough game as Mitundu came to grab points from us, but we had good preparation for the game. We told the boys to press hard in the first half, though we missed many chances. In the second half, we just let them play according to instructions, and we scored two beautiful goals that won us the game,” said Zakazaka.

However, Stanton Thomson of Mitundu Baptist blamed the officiation for contributing to their defeat.

“We came here to win, but we have witnessed one of the most boring matches. The referees have destroyed the game, contrary to what the league sponsors want. But we will go back and try to bounce back strong in the next match,” said Thomson.

The result took FOMO up to 7th in the league with 12 points from four wins and four losses, while Baptist are third with 15 points from five wins and three defeats.

Meanwhile, Baka City ended their unbeaten run in the league after suffering their first-ever league defeat in a 1-0 loss to Chintheche United at the Rumphi Stadium.

Lumbani Kamtoma netted the lone goal in the 52nd minute to secure a win for the Nkhatabay-based side, moving them a point behind the top three in the league.

Assistant head coach for Chintheche, Kaloti Kayuni, hailed his team for a massive performance.

“It was a tough game as Baka City were also playing well, but we worked hard, and I’m happy that we got a win,” said Kayuni.

On his part, Victor Mwakhwawa of Baka City said his team also played well but were just unfortunate to lose.

“It was a good game, and we played very well. We pressurised in the first half, but we conceded in the second half. We were equally good in the game too,” said Mwakhwawa.

The win took Chintheche up to fifth on the table with 14 points from four wins, two draws, and two losses, while Baka City are fourth with 15 points from four wins, three draws, and one defeat.

In Blantyre, Madalitso Safuli netted a 91st-minute equaliser to deny Namitete Zitha a win as he helped Bangwe All Stars snatch a point in a 2-2 draw at Mpira Stadium on Sunday.

Zitha led twice through Alexander Cosmas in the first half and Symon Chimenya in the second half, but Seleman Mussah’s 51st-minute goal and Safuli’s late strike secured a point for the hosts.

Zitha’s head coach, Richard Fosiko, however, blamed the officiation for helping Bangwe find an equaliser.

“It was an easy game as we came here to win. We led twice and controlled the game, but the officiation was bad, mostly in the second half, which was not good for us,” said Fosiko.

Bangwe All Stars head coach, Isaac ‘Jomo’ Osman, said the preparations for the game were hard, as they faced a team they had little information on.

“It was a tough game as we faced a team we didn’t know much about, so during training, we just focused on the basics, not tactics. But we worked hard and got that late goal to snatch a draw,” said Osman.

The result took Zitha up to second in the league with 15 points from four wins, three draws, and one loss, while Bangwe All Stars are down to 6th with 13 points from four wins, one draw, and three losses.

Finally, at Balaka Stadium, Joseph Kamwendo got his first NDL victory after Mchinji Villa beat Ntaja United 2-1 to also record their first win of the season.

Juwao Davie opened the scoring six minutes into the first half before Kelvin Mustafa doubled the lead on the hour mark. Harrison Phiri netted a consolation goal in the 85th minute for the hosts, who suffered their fourth defeat of the season.

Speaking after the match, Kamwendo said his team played according to instructions, and he believes it is the beginning of good results for the team.

“It was a good game. Today we came to win, and the boys put up a fighting spirit. We scored early, and in the second half we doubled it, which enabled us to command the game,” said Kamwendo.

On the other hand, Chisomo Kamlanje said the referees denied them clear goals in the second half, making it hard to come back into the game.

“We conceded an early goal which made the first half difficult, but in the second half we came strong and got clear goals that the referees denied us. It’s very painful to be stunned by referees at home,” said Kamlanje.

The win takes Villa up to 6 points from one win, three draws, and four defeats, while Ntaja drop to 8th with 10 points from three wins, one draw, and four defeats.

Week 8 yielded four wins and two draws, with 12 goals scored across all games. All teams in the league, except Jenda United, have now managed at least one win. Jenda remain winless and pointless.