Red Lions produced a scintillating second-half performance to show the reason why they want a top-flight return after scoring two second-half goals and snatching an away point in a 2-2 draw against Ndirande Stars on Sunday.
The league leaders saw themselves trailing by two goals before the hour-mark as Upile Shuga struck in the 37th minute before Macray Chiwaya’s goal of the season in the 54th minute doubled the lead. But Mphatso Magaleta’s long-range shot in the 67th minute put life back into the game before Calisto Kaliwo netted an equalizer 11 minutes from the time to snatch an away point.
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Head coach for the soldiers, Malumbo Mkandawire, said that getting a point in a game in which they were trailing by two goals is not bad for them.
“It was a very tough game as Ndirande Stars are running away from the relegation zone, so they came strong and scored two goals. But we know what we want this season; we fought hard and got those two goals, so a point is not bad,” said Mkandawire.
On his part, Ndirande Stars’ coach, Robert Daudi, described the outcome of the game as disappointing.
“When playing Red Lions, we are like soldiers as well, so we were good, but I think we thought we had already won the game, which cost us the win,” said Daudi.
The result means that Red Lions remain top of the standings as they have 33 points from 10 wins, three draws, and two defeats, which is 7 points ahead of Baka City in second. Ndirande Stars missed a chance to move into the top four as they remain 6th with 21 points from 5 wins, 6 draws, and four defeats.
Meanwhile, Ntaja United moved out of the relegation zone in style after handing Mchinji Villa a 1-0 defeat in a match played at the Mchinji Community Ground.
After playing a barren draw in the first half, the visitors found themselves in front thanks to a Felix Issa goal to seal the second straight win for Ntaja United, who have turned things around in the second round.
Head coach for Ntaja United, Mavuto Lungu, said the win has given them high hopes that they will survive in the league this season.
“It’s just a morale booster to our team. It’s not that it will change something on the log table, but it is showing us that if we can work hard, we will move out of that place we are, and I believe that we will survive this season,” said Lungu.
On the other side, head coach for Mchinji Villa, Abel Mkandawire, attributed the loss to the failure to convert their chances in the game.
“We could have scored even 8 goals in the game, but we have missed a lot of chances, which is painful. We need to go back, fix the problems of finishing, and then fight for points in the coming games. Otherwise, today we have lost a chance to get points in our hands,” said Mkandawire.
The win took the team out of the relegation zone as they are now 8th with 19 points from five wins, four draws, and 6 losses in the league while Mchinji Villa remain 11th with 15 points from three wins, 6 draws, and 6 defeats.
After the 15th week, Red Lions, Baka City, and Mitundu Baptist occupy the top three spots in the league while Chilumba Barracks, Chintheche United, Mchinji Villa, and Jenda United are in the relegation zone.
The top two sides will earn automatic promotion in the league while the third-placed side will go for promotion playoffs. The bottom four will be relegated to the lower league as they will be replaced by the winners of the four regional leagues.
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