Red Lions open 9-point gap as Bangwe, Baka end in stalemate

Red Lions have extended their lead on top of the NBS Bank National Division League after coming from behind to beat Mchinji Villa 3-2 in a match played at the Balaka Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts came from behind twice as Shamiuna Watch opened the scoring in 18 minutes before Kaliwo Harawa netted the equalizer in the 38th minute, then Juwao Davie restored the lead four minutes into the second half, but two late goals from Brown Gondwe sealed the win for the hosts.

Head coach for the team, Malumbo Mkandawire, said the game was very tough but thanked his boys for fighting hard in order to get a win.

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“Mchinji Villa is also trying to move out of the relegation zone, which made the game tough, but we are happy to add another three points and move up further,” said Mkandawire.

On his side, team manager for Villa, Chifuniro Chomkokoma, said his team was stunned by the referee’s decision to help Lions win.

“Other teams want to go into the Super League, but it’s not a reason to make bad decisions in favour of them. They gave them a dubious penalty which they have benefited from,” Chomkokoma said.

The win was third for Red Lions in the second round as they now have 32 points from 10 wins, two draws and two losses, while Mchinji Villa remain 11th with 15 points from three wins, 6 draws and five defeats in the league.

Meanwhile in Mulanje, Namitete Zitha suffered another setback in the League with their third straight defeat following a 1-0 loss to FOMO FC at the Mulanje Park Stadium.

Hopeson Adriano scored for the hosts 10 minutes before the end of the match to secure vital points for the Mulanje-based side and near the second position in the League.

Head coach for FOMO FC, Jimmy Zakazaka, was not happy with the team’s performance despite the win.

“We didn’t play our usual game and we struggled a lot, only that we got one chance which we utilized, but otherwise we have to go back and set things right,” Zakazaka said.

Assistant coach for the visitors, Martin Mtheto Mkamanga, said his team played very well but missed a lot of chances in the game.

“We were a better team in the entire game, but we missed a lot of chances, meaning we have lost it in our hands. Things are not looking good. We have lost all games in the second round, so we need to start performing now,” lamented Mkamanga.

A win for FOMO took them up to number 5 with 20 points from 6 wins, two draws and 6 defeats, while Zitha have the same number of points but have dropped to number 7 from five wins, five draws and four defeats in the League.

In Mzuzu, Ndirande Stars picked up their second win of the second round to move three points behind position 2 in the League after they beat Jenda United 1-0 at the Mzuzu Stadium.

After claiming four points in the last two games, the visitors got their winner through Maclay Chiwaya’s second goal of the season in the 70th minute to hand Jenda their first defeat in the round.

Assistant coach for Stars, Robert Daudi, said the game was very tough but they still managed to get a win in the game.

“It’s not simple to play away from home and get three points. I have to congratulate the boys for the job well done,” said Daudi.

On the other side, Uchizi Nkunika of Jenda United said their penalty miss plus overconfidence cost them a lot in the game.

“Our two draws in the past games gave the boys too much confidence that they would easily win the game, and also at 0-0 we missed a penalty which let the players down. We are trying everything, but now I don’t even understand what’s going on,” Nkunika said.

Ndirande rose up to 6th position with 20 points from five wins, five draws and four defeats, while Jenda remain bottom with five points from one win, two draws and 11 losses in the League.

Finally in Blantyre, Bangwe All Stars and Baka City both failed to keep momentum on league leaders Red Lions as the two sides settled for a point in their goalless draw at the Mpira Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The visitors had their goal scored from a corner kick disallowed in the opening five minutes before hitting the post late into the game for the hosts to survive and add a point to their tally in the log table.

Head coach for Bangwe All Stars, Isaac Jomo Osman, said his team played badly in the game and they were lucky to get a point.

“We underrated them because we beat them in the first round, so the first half was very bad. It’s just by the grace of God that we did not concede, but Baka City dominated us in every aspect,” said Osman.

On his part, Victor Mwakhwawa of Baka City pointed at the referee as their main agent of dropping points in the game.

“It was a very good game which we played very well, but we were away, we were playing against the referees because there’s no way that goal could have not stood, so we will keep on pushing so that we get what we want,” said Mwakhwawa.

Baka City are second with 23 points from 6 wins, five draws and three losses, while Bangwe comes third with 21 points from 6 wins, three draws and five losses in the League.

However, Mitundu Baptist could move up to second in the League and trim their gap on Red Lions to 8 if they beat Ntaja United at the Balaka Stadium on Sunday.

Baptist have 21 points on the table and are coming from two disappointing defeats against Ndirande Stars and Red Lions and will be looking for redemption in the game.

Ntaja United on the other side will be hoping for yet another win which will help them move out of the relegation zone and sit two points behind the top three.

In another match, Chintheche United are at home at the Mzuzu Stadium hosting Chilumba Barracks in another thrilling match.

A win for Chintheche could take them up to 6th on the log table and three points behind second-placed Baka City, while a win for Chilumba means that they will say goodbye to the relegation zone as they have 15 points in the League.