Takondwa Gambuleni came off the bench to score twice and complete a comeback for Kukoma Ntopwa Queens as they beat MK Academy 2-1 at Mzuzu Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
The two sides faced each other in the third week of the National Bank of Malawi National Women’s Premiership. The hosts took an early lead when Angella Mwalilino found the net in the 12th minute, and they held on to that lead through halftime.
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The visitors introduced Gambuleni in the 58th minute, substituting her for Esther Chauluka. Just three minutes later, Sarah Mlimbika beat three defenders and set up Gambuleni, who leveled the scores with a powerful shot that bounced off the post and into the net.
With Ntopwa now back in the game, they continued to pressure MK Academy. The hosts couldn’t handle the pressure, and Gambuleni scored her second goal of the day in the 70th minute, securing the win for her team.
Ntopwa’s head coach, Isaac Jomo Osman, thanked his players for a wonderful performance that earned them the victory. He admitted the team struggled in the first half due to fatigue.
“I think we have learned that it is good to arrive on time because we reached Mzuzu at around 12 midnight, so it was hard for the girls to recover,” said Osman. “That’s why we struggled.”
Osman also called for fair refereeing in the league to ensure it becomes more professional. He said the game was good preparation for the team ahead of their trip to South Africa.
“This is our last game before we go to South Africa for international games, so this has been a training match for us,” he added. “As you know, we are facing Mamelodi Sundowns in our first game, which is an experienced side. We also played on this pitch, which our girls are not used to since they always play on artificial turf, so it was good training.”
Meanwhile, MK Academy’s team manager, Fyness Moyo, said her team struggled to hold on in the second half.
“We started the game very well, where we scored a goal, but the girls lost concentration in the second half,” said Moyo. “We will just motivate the girls because they are improving with each game they play.”
The win takes the “Amaghetto kids” to the top of the standings with nine points from three wins, while MK Academy remains in eighth place with just one point from one draw and two losses.
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