Red Lions’ bid to return to the elite TNM Super League remains firmly on track after opening a seven-point lead at the summit of the NBS Bank National Division League (NDL) following a 3-2 victory over close contenders Mitundu Baptist on Sunday at Civo Stadium.
The soldiers now sit comfortably on 27 points, extending their lead ahead of Baka City, who moved to second place with 22 points after beating FOMO FC 2-1 at Karonga Stadium. The result dropped Mitundu Baptist to third position on the standings.
The top-of-the-table clash lived up to its billing. Having won the reverse fixture 2-0 earlier in the season, Red Lions faced an early setback when Raheem Mtondera fired Mitundu Baptist ahead in the 1st minute, spotting the goalkeeper off his line and lobbing the ball into the net. The strike marked Mtondera’s 13th goal of the campaign, strengthening his grip on the Golden Boot race.
Just when it looked like Mitundu would take a 1-0 lead into halftime, Red Lions equalised on the stroke of 45 minutes through Kaliwo Harawa, who finished off an excellent delivery from Hankey Machila.
After the break, Mtondera restored Mitundu’s lead in the 57th minute, slotting home from Charles Mbewe’s assist to complete his brace and bring his tally to 14 goals.
But Red Lions responded swiftly — Harawa also netting his second in the 61st minute to make it 2-2. Two minutes later, Mitundu were awarded a penalty after a foul inside the box, but Charles Mbewe squandered the chance, blasting his effort over the crossbar.
The miss proved costly as in the 83rd minute, Ferguson Mtondo unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the box to seal a dramatic 3-2 win for the Lions. Mtondo’s performance earned him the Player of the Match accolade.
At Karonga Stadium, Baka City also strengthened their Super League promotion ambitions with a 2-1 win over FOMO FC.
Baka took the lead in the 2nd minute through Hastings Ndau, who coolly converted from Enock Kaonga’s cross.
FOMO equalised four minutes after the restart through Hopson Adriano, but Baka regained control in the 60th minute, when Satiel Chirambo tapped in from close range after another assist from Ndau.
Enock Kaonga’s creative display earned him the Man of the Match award.
Meanwhile, at Mchinji Community Ground, Mchinji Villa and Ndirande Stars played out a goalless draw. Despite the stalemate, Ndirande’s Khaleed Alli impressed with his energetic performance and was voted Player of the Match.
